By Dr. Frank Sabatino

Adequate blood pressure (BP) is essential for blood to reach every cell and organ of your body and provide oxygen that is necessary for healthy function. This is not a small feat when you consider that blood has to routinely traverse approximately 60,000 miles of blood vessels that is equivalent to circling more than twice around the Earth.

To ensure adequate BP, there is a hormonal system in humans, and other animals including cows, chicken and fish, involving the kidney, lungs, liver, and adrenal glands that culminates with the release of the hormone aldosterone from the adrenal gland to increase the absorption of salt (sodium) and the release of potassium in the kidney.  Since sodium attracts and retains water to maintain adequate blood volume and BP, the body of most animals holds on to sodium like a miser. This strongly suggests that any healthy diet should be low in salt (sodium) and high in potassium and that is exactly what we see in a whole plant food diet. However, diets containing  processed and animal foods are loaded with salt and will abnormally raise blood pressure even if you are not adding salt to your diet. 

High BP is a dangerous condition and one of the most significant risk factors for heart disease which is the number one killer of men and women. One in three adults worldwide have high BP which equates to over 100 million people in the US and almost 3 billion people across the planet! The most up to date guidelines of the American Heart Association define blood pressure ( the first and second numbers of your blood pressure measurements) as follows:

• Normal BP—–less than 120 systolic ( when the heart contracts) and less than 80 diastolic (when the heart is at rest)
• Elevated BP—– 120-129 systolic and less than 80 diastolic
• Stage 1 hypertension—-130-139 systolic or 80-89 diastolic
• Stage 2 hypertension—-greater than or equal to 140 systolic or 90 diastolic

While there are several lifestyle factors that can contribute to high BP, including inactivity, sleep deficiency, and chronic stress, poor food choices, are the most important cause for almost 90% of everyone with dangerously high BP. The really good news is that eating a whole food, plant-exclusive diet can help you prevent and even reverse high BP, and avoid or eliminate medical treatment. Combining a diverse plant food diet with routine physical activity ( walking 30 minutes five times per week), sleeping 6-8 hours per night, and doing some meditation or stress management program like yoga, tai-chi or qi gong will enhance your ability to promote healthy BP. 

There is no need to add salt to your food. A diverse plant focused eating plan, without added salt and processed /animal foods, provides all the sodium you need,  and reduces saturated and trans fats to prevent and heal the damage and inflammation to blood vessels that promote plaque formation, vascular constriction and elevated blood pressure. Preventing damage to the endothelial lining of blood vessels, allows these cells in the blood vessel walls to convert the amino acid L-arginine into nitric oxide that naturally dilates blood vessels and reduces blood pressure.  

Eating a high fiber, plant-exclusive diet reduces high cholesterol levels associated with high BP. Plant food reduces the dietary intake of cholesterol while also promoting the conversion of circulating  cholesterol into insoluble coprastanol that is eliminated in the feces, thereby reducing the inflammation, blockage and constriction of blood vessels that increase BP.  Since a whole food plant diet is also low in calorie density, it helps regulate and reduce excessive weight and body fat that are also major risk factors for high BP.

Decades of clinical evidence, as well as extensive research from Dr Goldhamer and his team at the True North Health Center, have shown that water-only fasting significantly lowers blood pressure. (1) Fasting for 10 days to 2 weeks significantly lowered both systolic and diastolic BP in people with chronic hypertension, and these results were well maintained over a period of years in people that stayed on a whole plant food diet without added salt, oil, and sugar. 

Strategically, to reduce fluid retention and high BP associated with salt intake, avoid adding salt to your food, and reduce the use of any packaged products with high sodium content. Use salt substitutes and packaged products from companies like Well Your World, and Benson’s Table Tasty salt substitute. If you are breaking a salt habit, increase the use of higher sodium plants including celery, zucchini, Swiss chard, and tomatoes, and a wide variety of herbs and spices that will provide remarkable nutritional value and enhance the taste and  pleasure of  your food program. 

Reference

1. Goldhamer A,  et al. Medically supervised water-only fasting in the treatment of hypertension. J Manipulative Physiol Ther. 2001;24(5):335-339.