The numbers are sobering: around 70 million Americans (that’s 29%) and 7.5 million Canadians (and 21%) live with high blood pressure. Left untreated, high blood pressure, also known as hypertension, can greatly increase your risk of heart disease, including the chances of suffering a stroke or heart attack. It’s reported that 7 of every 10 people having their first heart attack already have high blood pressure. It’s important to know what your blood pressure numbers mean so that they can be monitored and managed well. Your blood pressure is represented by two numbers: the top systolic number is the amount of pressure in your arteries when your heart beats. The bottom diastolic number is your blood pressure when the heart rests between beats. Guidelines from the American Heart Association specify that high blood pressure is a result of a systolic pressure of 140 or higher and/or a diastolic pressure of 90 or higher and where both numbers stay high over time.
Unfortunately, managing high blood pressure can be expensive. The cost of prescription medication, dietary requirements and missed days of work add up. To offset this cost, many people are looking to home remedies and foods to lower blood pressure. Talia Marcheggiani, a naturopathic doctor in Toronto, Ontario has witnessed the trend firsthand. “For many, lifestyle and dietary changes as well as nutritional supplementation is an effective strategy for managing mild to moderate hypertension and preventing cardiovascular disease – while also avoiding the side effects of some medications,” she says. Now, we’re not advocating you completely ditch your meds and switch to beet juice. Some studies do suggest natural remedies for high blood pressure can bring down systolic levels. Virgin coconut oil has quickly reached super food status; it’s widely touted for its antioxidant content and its benefits on the cardiovascular system even though it’s 90% saturated fat (other common sources of saturated fat include meat, butter, cheese and full-fat dairy products).
We partnered with registered dietitian Cara Rosenbloom to create a comprehensive but easy-to-understand guide that helps you decipher which healthy fats to include in your diet, and which fats to avoid. It’s reported to have anti-inflammatory properties and lipid-lowering powers. Lipids, Glyco Care Formulabitter melon extract or fats, processed by the liver include cholesterol and triglycerides, both of which can pose problems for cardiovascular health if unmanaged. Virgin coconut oil (not the refined variety) has also been found to boost high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol – that’s the healthy one. Although researchers acknowledge that more testing is required to gain a better understanding of the findings, virgin coconut oil shows promising signs in the fight against cardiovascular disease. Coconut water contains potassium, which is good for calming the nerves. In fact, research shows that coconut water may lower blood pressure levels as much as 71%. However, it’s important to keep in mind that not all coconut waters are created equal – some are packed with sugar.
Look for brands such as Vita Coco and Zico, which are made of 100% coconut water. Mauby bark is popular in the Caribbean and has been shown to decrease systolic pressure by as much as 40%. You can generally find it in the ethnic foods section of supermarkets, and it’s also available for purchase online. Boil the bark down with water and sweeten with anise, sugar and cinnamon. You can also mix mauby tea with coconut water to make a potent tea. Research shows that drinking one cup of beet root juice daily can reduce blood pressure and arterial stiffness, the principal cause of increasing systolic pressure. In the body, dietary nitrate in beets is converted to nitric oxide (something that tends to deplete as we age) and evidence suggests that nitric oxide plays a major role in regulating blood pressure. Among nuts, pistachios contain the highest levels of antioxidants, along with other heart-friendly nutrients, such as potassium and magnesium. Pistachios also lower systolic blood pressure.
