When the heart pumps the blood through the arteries the blood presses abnormally high against the walls of the blood vessels. The heart must work harder to pump an adequate amount of blood to all the tissues of the body. The narrowing and/or hardening of the arteries make circulation of blood through the vessels difficult; as a result, blood pressure becomes elevated. This hardening and narrowing is, in large part, caused by high saturated fat intake, cholesterol, salt, fried and processed foods, and partially hydrogenated oils. Ultimately, the condition often leads to kidney failure, heart failure and stroke. In addition, high blood pressure is often associated with coronary heart disease, arteriosclerosis, kidney disorders, obesity, diabetes, hyperthyroidism, and adrenal tumors. An estimated fifty million Americans have high blood pressure. Significant risk factors include cigarette smoking, stress, obesity, excessive use of stimulants such as coffee or tea, drug abuse, high salt intake, and the use of oral contraceptives.
The number one factor for heart disease is a high blood cholesterol. The number one factor for high blood cholesterol is high saturated fat. By far, the highest source of saturated fat: Animal Foods! The vegetable kingdom has absolutely NO cholesterol.
“Not only is mortality from coronary artery disease lower in vegetarians than in non-vegetarians, but vegetarian diets have also been successful in arresting coronary artery disease.” “Position of American Dietetic Association on Vegetarian Diets,”
– Journal of the American Dietetic Association 97(1997): 1317-1321
Incidence of high blood pressure in meat eaters vs. vegetarians: 13 times higher
– Ophir O., et al., “low Blood Pressure in Vegetarians….” American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 37 (1983):755-762
Patients with high blood pressure who are able to completely discontinue use of medications after adopting a low-sodium, low-fat, high-fiber vegetarian diet: 58%
– J. McDougall, M.D, “The McDougall Plan,” (1983): p. 222-223
Patients with high blood pressure who achieve substantial improvement by switching to a vegetarian diet: 30-75%
– Lancet 1 (1983), p. 5-10 AND British Medical Journal 293 (1986), p. 1468-1471
Symptoms:
Because high blood pressure usually causes no symptoms until complications develop, it is known as “the silent killer”. Warning signs associated with advanced hypertension may include, headaches, sweating, rapid pulse, shortness of breath, dizziness, and visual disturbances.
- Eat a high fiber diet including plenty of fruits and vegetables and whole grains. This whole food fiber will scrub arterial plaque off the walls of your arteries and blood vessels.
- The following “live” (just squeezed) juices are healthful; beet, carrot, celery, currant, cranberry, citrus fruits, parsley, spinach and watermelon. These easily absorbable juices have highly concentrated nutrients that are essential for healthy blood vessels. These juices (especially carrot, spinach, and parsley) are also very high in calcium (see below) which is very important for preventing high blood pressure.
- Drink 8 glasses of distilled water per day. This will help flush out the plaque and toxins that have accumulated.
- Calcium deficiencies have been linked to high blood pressure. In short, the digestion of animal foods and excess protein (40 grams or more per day for an adult male- according to the World Health Organization) causes large quantities of acids to be produced in the intestines. Sometimes, these acids are in such excess that they seep into the bloodstream and up into the esophagus causing heartburn. This makes the blood dangerously acidic and the body must use alkaline minerals to restore the pH balance immediately. The body leeches calcium from the bones and other alkaline minerals in order to restore the proper ph balance. This can eventually lead to osteoporosis and kidney stones. In addition to lowering your protein intake, supplementation has been shown to significantly reduce high blood pressure. Get your calcium from whole food sources as: dandelion greens, broccoli, most dark green leafy vegetables, hazelnuts, kale, kelp, oats, sea vegetables, tahini, tofu, and sesame seeds. We also suggest a high quality whole food supplement, like VITAFORCE™ that is complete and made from whole foods. American Journal of Hypertension, 6(12), December 1993, p. 996-1002
- Take two tablespoons of flaxseed oil per day. The flaxseed oil is important for proper blood circulation and lowering cholesterol.
- Eat 3-6 cloves a day of raw garlic, as it has been repeatedly shown to lower blood pressure and cholesterol. There are simply too many studies on this subject, but we will reference a few here; all of these studies confirm garlic’s ability to significantly lower serum total cholesterol levels and the accumulation of plaque associated with artherosclerosis and high blood pressure (one study exhibited this effect within 5-14 hours). Parmacotherapy, 13(4), July-August 1993, p. 406-407 AND American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 34(10), October 1981, p. 2100-2103 AND Journal of Postgraduate Medicine, 37(3), July 1991, p. 128-131 AND American Journal of Medicine, 94(6), June 1993, p. 632-635
- Get regular, light to moderate exercise, but do not overexert yourself.
Things to Avoid:
- All Animal Foods: dairy foods (milk, cheese, butter, cream, ice cream), fish, meat, chicken, turkey, eggs, fried and greasy foods, margarine, and all other processed foods and animal derived products from your diet. These foods are laced with chemicals, pesticides, and toxins as well as high levels of saturated fats which have a very damaging a draining effect on the body.
- Salt, tobacco, caffeine, sodas, coffee, sugar, and refined white flour (breads, pastas, cereals- replace with whole wheat pastas, breads, and cereals). These products are extraordinarily destructive to the body.
- Medications containing Ibuprofen (Advil, Nuprin)
References:
- James F. Balch, M.D, Phyllis A. Balch, C.N.C, “Prescription for Nutritional Healing,” (1997)
- S. Margen, “Studies in Calcium Metabolism, the Calciuretic Effect of Dietary Protein,” American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 27(1974): 584
- W. Rose, “The Amino Acid Requirement of Adult Man, XVI, the Role of the Nitrogen Intake,” J Boil Chem 217 91955): 997
- James F. Balch, M.D, Phyllis A. Balch, C.N.C, “Prescription for Nutritional Healing,” (1997)
- F.G. McMahon & R. Vargas, “Can Garlic Lower Blood Pressure? A Pilot Study,” Parmacotherapy, 13(4), July-August 1993, p. 406-407
- A. Bordia, “Effect of Garlic on Blood Lipids in Patients with Coronary Heart Disease,” American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 34(10), October 1981, p. 2100-2103
- J.V. Gadkari & V.D. Josh, “Effect of Ingestion of Raw Garlic on Serum Cholesterol Level, Clotting Time and Fibrinolytic Activity in Normal Subjects,” Journal of Postgraduate Medicine, 37(3), July 1991, p. 128-131
- A.K. Jain, et al., “Can Garlic Reduce Levels of Serum Lipids? A Controlled Clinical Study,” American Journal of Medicine, 94(6), June 1993, p. 632-635
- S.J. Wimialawansa, “Antihypertensive Effects of Oral Calcium Supplementation May be Mediated through the Potent Vasodilator CGRP,” American Journal of Hypertension, 6(12), December 1993, p. 996-1002
- “Position of American Dietetic Association on Vegetarian Diets,” Journal of the American Dietetic Association 97(1997): 1317-1321
- J. McDougall, M.D, “The McDougall Plan,” (1983): p. 222-223
- Lindahl, O., et al., “A Vegan Regimen with Reduced Medication in the Treatment of Hypertension: A Randomised Controlled Trial,” British Medical Journal 293 (1986), p. 1468-1471
- Rouse, I.L., et al., “Blood Pressure Lowering Effect of Vegetarian Diet: Controlled Trial…,” Lancet 1 (1983), p. 5-10
