High Blood Pressure Diet – Top Tips
Blood Pressure Diet What is hypertension and why is a Blood Pressure diet so important? It is something many of us never think about, but it keeps you alive and it is important to stay in a healthy range! In this blog, we cover all you need to know and how to improve it. Blood pressure is when your heart pumps blood through your arteries, putting pressure on the artery wall. This naturally goes up and down with your normal daily activities. A normal blood pressure level is less than 120/80 mmHg What do blood pressure numbers mean? Blood pressure is recorded with two numbers: The first number is called systolic blood pressure. This is the pressure in your arteries when your heart beats. The second number is called diastolic blood pressure. This measures the pressure in your arteries when your heart rests between beats. If you have never had this checked yourself you may have seen a Dr on TV using a cuff and stethoscope on patients to listen to their arm! This is checking blood pressure. An electronic blood pressure monitor is the up-to-date way of checking your home blood pressure: What is High Blood Pressure? High blood pressure, also known as hypertension, is when your blood pressure is higher than normal. The higher your blood pressure means you are at greater risk of heart disease heart attack heart failure stroke Not what you want to be hearing. High blood pressure also increases your risk of developing the following health problems Kidney disease Vision problems, retinal changes Sexual dysfunction, such as erectile dysfunction Circulatory problems, including peripheral artery disease (leg pain when walking) Atrial Fibrillation – Abnormal heart rhythms Vascular dementia Aortic Aneurysm – vessel swelling in the abdomen So how common is High Blood pressure? Nearly 1/2 the population in America have high blood pressure and in the UK it is not far behind with 1 in 3 adults (around 16 million) having high blood pressure (a reading of 140/90 or higher). This rises to at least 1 in 2 over-65s. Unfortunately, most people will never know they have high blood pressure as it is known as the silent killer. If you do have the following symptoms: Headaches, anxiety, nosebleeds, and palpitations do get them checked out as these can be signs of high blood pressure. Why do we get High Blood pressure? The top risk factors for high blood pressure include: Being overweight/obese – The more you weigh the more blood flow is required to the tissues to supply nutrients and oxygen. Blood vessels increase and so does the pressure inside your arteries. Too much salt (sodium) in your diet – your body retains fluid when there is too much sodium in your diet. This causes the arteries in your body to narrow. Both increase blood pressure. Too little potassium in your diet -Potassium is important to help balance the sodium in your cells. Potassium causes the smooth muscle cells in your arteries to relax, which lowers blood pressure. Not being physically active – Exercise lowers blood pressure by increasing blood flow through all the arteries of the body. This leads to the release of natural hormones and cytokines relaxing blood vessels. Lack of physical activity also increases the risk of being overweight which as we know now is a risk factor in itself. What lifestyle change lowers blood pressure the most? Weight loss for high blood pressure Weight loss is one of the most effective lifestyle changes for controlling blood pressure. If you’re overweight or have obesity, losing even a small amount of weight can help reduce blood pressure. Blood Pressure diet – Nutrient-rich foods Many people embark on trying to lose weight for multiple reasons, many due to health, and they hit a brick wall after a few weeks or months. Following macros, friends’ recommendations, or very kcal-restricted diets. They start with the best of intentions, but if they are not focused on the long game the diet becomes boring, and tasteless and can lead to far more problems than they started with. I have written about this in other blogs and also have several videos on my YouTube channel about weight loss, macros and intuitive eating. The focus for blood pressure is getting key nutrients in each day potassium, calcium and magnesium are just a few. These nutrients help control blood pressure. While building these in, reducing sodium, saturated fat and added sugars is critical. Salt/Sodium and High Blood Pressure Salt/sodium intake is directly correlated to high blood pressure and is found in so many processed foods – both sweet and savoury. Adults should eat no more than 6g of salt a day (2.4g sodium) – that’s around 1 teaspoon in all the foods and fluids you consume. Children aged: 1 to 3 years should eat no more than 2g salt a day (0.8g sodium) Bacon, sausages, ham, meat pies, sausage rolls, pizza, crisps, bread….. are all high-salt processed foods. One slice of pan-fried pork bacon alone has 194 milligrams of sodium! Thankfully there are no special foods required to reduce your blood pressure, just focus on eating a wide range of vegetables, fruits, and whole grains. Including low-fat dairy products, fish, poultry, beans, nuts, and unrefined oils. 121 Dietitian programmes are created especially for you to ensure you get all of the correct nutrients and still make it tasty and enjoyable lifelong. How did we design our Blood Pressure Diet? DASH The DASH eating plan was designed from the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension clinical study funded by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute in 1997. This study found that populations who consume diets rich in vegetables and fruits have a lower blood pressure than those whose diets are low in vegetables. In addition to fruits and vegetables, dietary fibre, potassium, calcium, magnesium, and protein were all essential. All these important nutrients are the cornerstone of our 121 specially designed programmes! Drinking less alcohol Having more than two drinks per day
Sugar what you need to know …
It is Sugar awareness week 18th – 24th January 2021 so I thought I would take a look at this in more detail for you as it is one of the biggest concerns my patients have when I see them at my clinics. What is sugar? The term ‘sugar’ usually refers to what we know as table or granulated sugar – the type of sugar that we add to our tea or coffee. We also are familiar to the different variations which include caster sugar, icing sugar, brown sugar, demerara sugar, these are types mostly used in baking.These, you may already know, are not the only sugars around. Sugar occurs naturally in all foods that contain carbohydrates, such as fruits and vegetables, grains, and dairy.All ‘sugars’ are carbohydrates and along with starch they one of our body’s main source of energy. Carbohydrates are required for our brains, bodies and nervous system. In fact it has been part of our diets for thousands of years. Sugar is found naturally in most foods like fruits, vegetables and milk as well as being an ingredient used in a wide range of foods and drinks. Great, so what is all the fuss about? Consuming whole foods that contain natural sugar is acceptable as part of a healthy intake when you have a healthy metabolism. Plant foods have high amounts of fibre, essential minerals, and antioxidants alongside smaller amounts of carbs, and dairy foods contain protein, fats and calcium which are important for the body.Because of these extra components your body digests these foods slowly allowing the sugar in them to provide a steady supply of energy to your cells. A sufficient intake of fruits, vegetables, and fibre rich foods have been shown to reduce the risk of many chronic diseases, such as diabetes, heart disease, and some cancers. So what’s the problem? Increasing technology has brought many changes to our food production. More and more convenience foods are available that taste good, are very addictive and can be eaten 24/7.Problems occur when regularly eating these processed foods leads you to consume too much “added sugar”. The food manufacturers add this to enhance the flavour or extend shelf life and this can often be hidden in foods you would never imagine.In the modern diet, the top sources of sugar are soft drinks, fruit drinks, flavoured yogurts, cereals, biscuits, cakes, sweets and most processed foods. But added sugar is also present in items that you may not think of as sweetened, like soups, bread, processed meats, and condiments like ketchup. How much sugar are we allowed? Our recommended dietary intake of sugar per day: Adults should have no more than 30g of free sugars a day, (roughly equivalent to 7 tsps/sugar cubes). Children aged 7 to 10 should have no more than 24g of free sugars a day (6 tsps/sugar cubes). Children aged 4 to 6 should have no more than 19g of free sugars a day (5 tsps/sugar cubes). What sugar we consume Adults in the UK take in 3 times the recommended amount at an average of 22 teaspoons/cubes of added sugar per day, according to the NHS website.Four to 10-year-olds are eating more than twice as much sugar as they should per day, equivalent to 13 tsps/sugar cubes (PHE 2018). “Excess sugar’s impact on obesity, Blood pressure, inflammation, weight gain, fatty liver and diabetes and this is well documented, but one area that may surprise many is how their taste for sugar can have a serious impact on their heart health and increase risk of stroke,” says Dr. Frank Hu, professor of nutrition at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Impact of sugar on your heart In a study published in 2014 in JAMA Internal Medicine, Dr. Hu and his colleagues found an association between a high-sugar diet and a greater risk of dying from heart disease. Over the course of the 15-year study, people who are 17% to 21% of their calories from added sugar had a 38% higher risk of dying from cardiovascular disease compared with those who consumed 8% of their calories as added sugar. “Basically, the higher the intake of added sugar, the higher the risk for heart disease,” says Dr. Hu. Sugar has several indirect connections to affecting heart health: 1) high amounts of sugar overload the liver. “Your liver metabolizes sugar the same way as alcohol, and converts dietary carbohydrates to fat,” says Dr. Hu. Over time, this can lead to a greater accumulation of fat, which may turn into fatty liver disease, a contributor to diabetes, which raises your risk for heart disease.2) Consuming too much added sugar can raise blood pressure and increase chronic inflammation, both of which are pathological pathways to heart disease.3) Excess consumption of sugar, especially sugary drinks, also contributes to weight gain by tricking your body into turning off its appetite-control system because liquid calories are not as satisfying as calories from solid foods. This is why it is easier for people to add more calories to their regular diet when consuming sugary drinks. How you can reduce your sugar intake? Reading food labels is one of the best ways to monitor your intake of added sugar. Look for the following names for added sugar and try to either avoid, or cut back on the amount or frequency of the foods where they are found: • brown sugar• corn sweetener• corn syrup• fruit juice concentrates• high-fructose corn syrup• honey• invert sugar• malt sugar• molasses Also syrup sugar molecules ending in “ose” (dextrose, fructose, glucose, lactose, maltose, sucrose). Check the total sugar of the product, which includes added sugar, this is usually listed in grams.If it says 5 grams of sugar per serving, but the normal amount you would eat is three or four servings, you will easily consume 20 grams of sugar which is way too much.Also, watch the amount of sugar or syrups you add to your food or drinks. About half of added sugar comes from
Obesity Statistics and Health Risks
While obesity stats might be shocking, the good news is that there is still time to do something about it. Here, we get clear on the obesity statistics and share how 121 Dietitian has been successfully helping patients to lose weight for good. A person with obesity (BMI – Body Mass Index of 30 and above) is: 6 times more likely to develop high blood pressure 4 times more likely to develop diabetes 2 times more likely to develop arthritis 6 times more likely to suffer gall bladder disease More likely to be infertile More likely to suffer from back and joint problems More likely to have problems with asthma exacerbated Increased risk of suffering depression More likely to suffer sleep problems such as sleep apnoea Increased risk of heart problems and stroke And have a shortened lifespan (1 in every 11 deaths in the UK is linked to obesity related problems) More likely to have nutritional deficiencies Reverse these obesity statistics This is not a scare tactic message, but rather, we feel, an important message to highlight the negative health implications associated with obesity that we treat every day. It may surprise you to know that many of the men and women who come to our clinics are unaware of the risks associated with obesity. When informed they are so grateful they could do something about it before their problems became irreversible. If you wish to reverse the risks as mentioned above, the good news is something can be done. Losing weight and lowering your BMI (body mass index) to normal or lower levels, or with a 5-10% reduction in weight as a starting point will significantly reduce your likelihood of developing these potentially serious medical conditions. Significant weight loss can resolve many pre-existing conditions associated with obesity. Of course there are also many, many psychological benefits in losing excess weight. People become more confident, feel less isolated, feel more attractive and feel more assertive as well as the obvious benefits associated with feeling healthy like a new wardrobe! HOW TO LOSE WEIGHT AND ENJOY DOING SO! Our team are highly skilled weight management Dietitians, providing a unique evidence based programme, tailored to each individual. Over the years, we have helped many people to successfully lose weight, when they have struggled in the past. You will learn how to enjoy foods and how to manage your diet, weight and health for life. No kcal counting, macros…. If you need to lose more weight, then you can safely do so, as you will know exactly how to do it safely for optimizing health for life. Unsure of how to change your eating habits, or need help optimising the foods you eat please do contact us. We would love to help you or your family and friends with any nutrition related queries big or small. In the meantime do please check out our 121Dietitian Shop this has been expertly created for you. If you have enjoyed this blog we would love you to share this with your family and friends on your social media channels. Why not visit our YouTube Channel for more on keeping your health optimal. How can a Dietitian help Book a consultation via our Online Portal About Gillian Killiner Check out our tailored dietary programmes Gillian x [instagram-feed] Information checked & correct on 16th May 2018 rechecked Jan 2021.
Salt – Sea salt & rock salt -healthier options?
What is salt? Have you ever considered certain salt e.g Sea Salt or Rock Salt, may be better for you than others? At 121 dietitian we have been asked this very question. So you can see why we came to our conclusion we have provided some background info first. What is salt made from? Salt is made up of two minerals (sodium & chlorine). Sodium naturally occurs in many plant and animal foods but for most of us it is the salt in our diets which is our main source of sodium. 1g of sodium is the equivalent to 2.55g of salt. If you see sodium on a food table the easiest way to decide how much salt the food contains is to multiply the sodium by 2.5. Sodium x 2.5 = Salt in grams Why do we use salt? Salt is used in cooking to add flavour to foods, boost the flavour of other ingredients and to act as a preservative. Most of the salt we eat comes from pre-prepared foods (75%) rather than the salt we add at the table. Sea salt, rock salt or table salt is there a difference & which is better? Sea salt, rock salt and table salt all contain around 100% sodium chloride which means that too much of any of them will have a negative effect on your health. However rock salt & sea salt are often marketed as being a healthier or tastier option than table salt. Both are considerably more expensive than table salt. Sea salt is produced by the evaporation of sea water. It is argued that sea salt contains more minerals than table salt so is better for your health. However, just because it may contain extra minerals does not mean it is good for you. It would better to get these minerals from a balanced diet containing lots of fruit and vegetables than to consider sea salt as a healthy food. Rock salt is also known as halite. It is different to sea salt because it is already found in a solid form and then mined. Table salt (refined salt) can also be produced from solid salt which is found underground and then refined to remove any impurities. When the salt is being refined minerals such as calcium and potassium are often considered as impurities and so are removed in the refining process. Since 75% of the salt we eat is already in the foods we buy and no salt is a “healthy” option, we here @ 121 Dietitian suggest the cheapest and best decision you can make is to not add any extra salt at all. Instead try experimenting with other flavours such as herbs, spices, garlic, chillies, lemon & ginger. Which foods contain high levels of salt? We mentioned that 75% of the salt we consume is already in the foods we buy. Foods which often have a high salt level include bacon, cheeses, ready-made stocks, soy sauce, tomato ketchup, mustard, ham and ready-made sauces. Try to limit how often you use these products and where possible choose the reduced salt options. You can also use nutrition labels to compare salt content when no reduced salt options are available. What are the health effects of salt? In the body sodium is actually essential, it is required to maintain fluid balance and for nerve signalling. Despite this, as a nation we needn’t worry about deficiency. It is recommended that adults have no more than 6g salt per day. But the average intake shown in the last national diet & nutrition survey was 8.6g per day (with many people consuming more than this). Really all we need to maintain our health is only around 1g of salt (a pinch). Getting too much salt can be bad for our health. High intakes of salt are linked to increased blood pressure, which in turn can increase the risk of stroke and heart disease. Salt has also been linked to other conditions including osteoporosis, stomach cancer, kidney disease, kidney stones and obesity. It may also exacerbate the symptoms of asthma, Alzheimer’s and Diabetes. How much salt is too much? Recommended maximum salt intakes Age Maximum Salt Intake 0-6 months Less than 1g / day 6-12 months 1g / day 1-3 years 2g / day 4-6 years 3g / day 7-10 years 5g / day 11 years and above 6g / day If you found this article interesting you can find more information on the Action Salt website www.actionsalt.org.uk or chat to us @ 121 Dietitian: info@121dietitian.com Make sure you have the correct nutritious foods to get you off to a great start. Check out the 121Dietitian Shop Please visit my YouTube Channel. If you have enjoyed this blog we would love you to share this with your family and friends on your social media channels. Instagram Facebook Youtube X-twitter Linkedin
