If you have high blood pressure, commonly referred to as hypertension, it is imperative that you modify your diet in order to address and correct the root cause of your elevated blood pressure. Certain vitamins may also be helpful, but do not take any supplement without the supervision of a health care professional.
Vascular Cleansing Vitamins
Danielle Perrault, in her book "Nutritional Symptomatology," writes that high blood pressure often responds well to a vascular cleansing vitamin formula. She explains that when you cleanse your arteries, they shed their plaque, and this tends to reduce and eventually normalize blood pressure levels. A number of different vascular cleansing formulas are available. Perrault recommends choosing one that includes vitamins A, C and E.
Vitamin E
The vitamins found in most arterial cleansing formulas are of dual benefit because they are also all high in antioxidants, and antioxidants are important for individuals with high blood pressure. Vitamin E in particular is recommended. Phyllis Balch, in her book "Prescription for Nutritional Healing," recommends that you take 100 international units of vitamin E and increase the dose by 100 IUs every month until you reach a dose of 400 IU. She warns however, that vitamin E should not be taken if you are on prescription blood thinners.
What to Eat
In order to lower your blood pressure, the Canadian School of Natural Nutrition recommends eating a plant-based whole-foods diet and avoiding or drastically reducing your intake of all processed and refined foods. Your diet should be high in fiber, with a total of 40 to 50 g of fiber a day. You should also consume cold-water fish such as salmon, sardines and mackerel twice a week, because they are high in omega-3s, which are essential fatty acids that are thought to be beneficial at lowering blood pressure.
What to Avoid
You should avoid coffee, cigarettes, alcohol, soda and recreational drugs, as these are all well-known contributors to high blood pressure, says Balch. She also recommends avoiding aged cheese, aged meat, anchovies, chocolate, fava beans, pickled herring, sherry, sour cream, wine and yogurt. These foods all contain the chemical tyramine, and preliminary research suggests tyramine can cause blood pressure to soar, especially when combined with certain blood pressure lowering drugs.
Allergenic Foods and Hypertension
Perrault says that if your blood pressure does not respond to a healthy diet and vascular cleansing vitamins, then it is likely that you have hidden food allergies and your high blood pressure is an allergic reaction. In order to get complete relief from allergy-induced hypertension, it is necessary to track down and completely eliminate all the hidden food offenders. The most common food culprits include chocolate, coffee, tea, sodas, citrus fruit, and the nightshade foods -- tomatoes, potatoes, peppers, paprika, cayenne, eggplant and tobacco. In order to pinpoint which, if any, of these foods are causing your hypertension, Perrault recommends following a three-day water fast or an elimination diet under the supervision of your health care practitioner.
References
- "Prescription for Nutritional Healing;" Phyllis Balch; 2003
- "Pathology and Nutrition"; Canadian School of Natural Nutrition; 2008
- "Nutritional Symptomatology"; Danielle Perrault; 2007
