To eat as natural as possible, don't over eat, exercise and stay away from processed foods!! Simple.
You still may need to take medicine for life as such as some people that is what happens but in 99% of the cases when you go all natural you lose weight, blood pressure returns to normal, heart muscle improves, blocked veins unblock and alot of even skin diseases retreat.
There was a really interesting article on salt and the US medical/health industry: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/03/opinion/sunday/we-only-think-we-know-the-truth-about-salt.html?_r=1&pagewanted=all. I'm not a doctor and I don't live in the States, but I do know that many places here in Europe aren't as obsessed with cutting back on salt (we also eat less processed foods, but that is changing even here, quite sadly).
Dietary Approach to Stop Hypertension -- the DASH diet is recommended by physicians and health organizations both professional and governmental. It is a balanced eating plan, low sodium and good for overall health. It was designed for hypertension and pre-hypertension, and has been fully tested and studied. http://dashdiet.org/ is a good introduction, Wikipedia has an article, and there's more online and in books.
There is some rethinking going on about sodium, changing the emphasis from extreme sodium restriction to getting lots of naturally occuring potassium from fruits and vegetables -- like we should be doing anyway!
@ SKK, Thank you, yes, I understand. I wasn’t suggesting that you or anyone else was offering medical advice. I was only suggesting to “Whole Foods Customer” that they might consider medical advice from a doctor.
Sadly many doctors are very quick to prescribe potentially dangerous medications and at the same time have little knowledge of nutrition as a healing method.
My memory of the celery vs blood pressure is -- 4 stalks/day.
All the above points to achieving a diet which supports good health. To me, this is how all people should eat. When you look at nutrition labels on prepared foods or fast foods, how many red flags do you see? We need a full range of nutrients from whole foods in a wide variety, and most likely the way to get them consistently is to cook -- and enjoy -- your own food at home.
No one has submitted medical advice that I am reading, Pegeen. Both chefsusie and I are talking about eating foods that heal. Healthy eating can only support what the questioner is about. And in the example I gave, the way of eating I proposed was directed and supported all the way along by an MD.
And chefsusie gave a possible way of dealing with this.
Healthy eating and doctors - both and. One does not cancel out the other. If anything, you gave medical advice regarding medications etc.
With all due respect to the great people all over this web site, this is not the right place for medical advice. A doctor should confirm that you need to lower your blood pressure, and make recommendations regarding whether you need to change your diet to help with that goal. For example, your blood pressure might be high or low because of other medications you're taking and your diet is related, but a secondary factor. It's a good idea to see a doctor, who will most likely recommend some basic blood tests, to help make a useful and sensible diagnosis for you.
Prevention magazine online has tons of sound advice. Check them out. One I know for sure....celery. Can't recall the scientific reason. But, its very good for blood pressure.
Whole plant based food. No processed food. Whole grains, raw nuts (not processed) and seeds.
A close friend of mine who is in her 70's reversed her diabetes (no longer on insulin), lowered her blood pressure and lost 80 pounds in 14 months eating this way, and this was under her doc's supervision. When I eat this way my blood pressure lowers immediately. It is worth it. And you lose your taste for highly processed fatty foods. Also exercise every day - walking and stretching make a huge difference.
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You still may need to take medicine for life as such as some people that is what happens but in 99% of the cases when you go all natural you lose weight, blood pressure returns to normal, heart muscle improves, blocked veins unblock and alot of even skin diseases retreat.
There is some rethinking going on about sodium, changing the emphasis from extreme sodium restriction to getting lots of naturally occuring potassium from fruits and vegetables -- like we should be doing anyway!
All the above points to achieving a diet which supports good health. To me, this is how all people should eat. When you look at nutrition labels on prepared foods or fast foods, how many red flags do you see? We need a full range of nutrients from whole foods in a wide variety, and most likely the way to get them consistently is to cook -- and enjoy -- your own food at home.
And chefsusie gave a possible way of dealing with this.
Healthy eating and doctors - both and. One does not cancel out the other. If anything, you gave medical advice regarding medications etc.
A close friend of mine who is in her 70's reversed her diabetes (no longer on insulin), lowered her blood pressure and lost 80 pounds in 14 months eating this way, and this was under her doc's supervision. When I eat this way my blood pressure lowers immediately. It is worth it. And you lose your taste for highly processed fatty foods. Also exercise every day - walking and stretching make a huge difference.