High Blood Pressure- The Vegan Solution

Most of us know about the strong connection between cholesterol and heart disease, but high blood pressure (aka hypertension) can be equally dangerous and affects more than a quarter of America’s overall population, and is especially prevalent among the African-American community.

In fact 34% of African-American men have high blood pressure, compared to 25% for white men. Women fare slightly better, but not by much, with 31% of African-American women living with high blood pressure, compared to 21% for whites.
Often called the “silent killer” because there are no outward symptoms, high blood pressure is a serious health risk that can lead to heart disease and stroke. And the numbers cited above show that tens of millions of Americans are living with this usually preventable condition.

What is High Blood Pressure?
While the precise definition of “high” when referring to blood pressure varies from source to source, general agreement is that it’s high when it corresponds to an elevated risk for heart attack, stroke or congestive heart failure.

Divided into two numbers – systolic and diastolic – blood pressure is said to be high when the systolic or upper number is 140 or higher and when diastolic is 90 or above. For example, you’ll be diagnosed with high blood pressure if your reading is 145/85 or 135/95, because, if either number is high, your cardiovascular health is at risk. Most people diagnosed with hypertension fall within the category identified as “mild” – blood pressure that falls within the 140-159/90-99 range. However, this term can be misleading because even within this “mild” range, the dangers are high.

Vegan Solution
One of the biggest contributors to high blood pressure in our culture is the incredibly high level of sodium in the fast-food and packaged, processed foods we eat, and eliminating these products is a great start to getting hypertension under control.

Losing weight, eating less fat, exercise and stress reduction techniques are all beneficial, but studies have shown that one of the most effective and “doable” cures for high blood pressure is living a Vegan Lifestyle with a low-fat, low-sodium diet and moderate exercise. In many cases, following a vegan diet has proven more effective than a simple low-fat diet, exercise alone and even medication in lowering blood pressure on a consistent basis.
And by following a vegan diet – focusing on fresh vegetables rather than canned foods – you’ll eliminate most of the deadly sodium in your diet. In their natural state, plant foods—grains, legumes, vegetables, and fruits—have almost no sodium. Fresh is best, but frozen fruits and vegetables are acceptable, as long as no additional salt has been added to the mix.

The contrast in salt content of fruits and vegetables vs. meat, fish and dairy is startling. A serving of mild-tasting, seemingly innocuous cheddar cheese has a whopping 352 grams of sodium, whole milk has 120 grams and “healthy” yogurt 105.

Black beans, navy beans and cauliflower each have less than 10 grams per serving. Even better, bananas, apples and rice have only one gram of sodium per serving, and grapefruits have zero sodium. Meanwhile, even lean animal protein sources like chicken breasts and swordfish have 82 and 130 grams of sodium per serving, respectively.

Choosing a vegan, or near-vegan diet is the most straight-forward way to reducing high blood pressure, not to mention your cholesterol and any extra pounds you’re looking to shed.