Lowering blood pressure with diet?

Am I correct in assuming the caffeine in drinks like coke is also bad? I know tea and coffee should be avoided unless decaffeinated.

I have high blood pressure and have started using LoSalt salt alternative. I've now been able to halve my medication.

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learn to meditate and do it daily..

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Definitely find a machine and take your bp yourself and do the best of 3.
Record twice a day for 5 days.
I have a memory of the swans on a local lake that I think about and breathing slowly, that brings it down.
Am now on Ramipril and have stopped having visual migraines.

My bp went high when my husband died, I could hear the heart beats in my ears when I lay down, that was caused by stress, which raised my cortisol levels. I worked very hard on reducing stress, just sitting and looking at trees, walking by a river and in nature. Calming music, particularly by Snatam Kaur.

My diet was always good but I am aware of the potential of increasing bp with age, so I cycle or hill walk every other day, while staying active, using the stairs etc. I stick to set meal times, don`t have to look at the clock. Main meal between 11.30 and 12 and last small meal between 3.30 and 4. This sets my circadian rhythmns as does morning light, helping me get to that sought-after good nights sleep which is so healing

Gut microbiome has a huge role but is a big topic that you can research, mine is very healthy. My bp is 123/60 at age 76 and I am not thin

ps, diet is very much plant based, I am not vegan but eat very little meat

and don`t drink alcohol and don`t eat cake or white bread, anything that is made from sugar

I have reported several posts wrt supplements and also spam on this thread

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Hibiscus tea apparently is good for lowering BP.

Aveline

Hibiscus tea helps apparently. I noticed quite a drop in my BP when I lost weight recently.
Good luck.

I drink hibiscus tea regularly; 2-3 cups a day. Definitely helps to reduce systolic BP

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I was told my BP was high over a month ago. It has never been high before but I am older and have a lot of stress in my life, as well as having a family history of high BP.

I have now taken up a mediterranean diet and have lost almost a stone. It is high in fish, fibre, fruit and veg. I only take a Vid D supplement.

Although my BP remains 'borderline' ie the high end of 'normal' according to the nurse I am resisting getting a machine or taking anything.

The nurse said the danger of medication too soon is that it can make your BP plummet. I told her I didn't want medication untilit was really necessary, which it isn't.

My older sister has controlled it with diet and exercise for a good few years but has now consented to taking them, due to her age and family history.

I think it is good to be cautious but as others have said, it may eventually become inevitable as we age.

I wish you well.

Olive oil. Chuck out all the other fats and oils and use the olive oil spread. It really works and I think recently they have actually proved it.

Back in the days when we had a "family Doctor" I made an appointment because I had had a series of fainting fits. It only took a minute for him to diagnose the problem. He remembered that my DH had seen him a couple of months ago with very high blood pressure and had been given a prescription + advice on switching to a low salt diet. He jaloused that I had also adopted the low salt regime and that had sent my already low BP through the floor, such that the slightest pain or fright caused BP to drop drastically.
I continued to cook salt free but was liberal with salt on my own portion and if I felt the pressure dropping i.e. beginning to feel faint or dizzy to eat some salted crisps. = problem solved!

That’s an interesting point Granny23 😃

I firmly believe that in some cases nothing you do can lower your BP.

My husband has been in hospital for a month following a haemorrhagic stroke. They say this was caused by high BP. His BP was extremely high for decades. No combination of drugs lowered it. Prior to the stroke he was on 7 or 8 meds all for high BP.

He is not overweight, he has never smoked, he barely drinks, I cook healthy meals, he is very active (was still working in an active job at 71) and he is a laid back person. He quit sugar when he was 15 and quit salt decades ago. He has tried various health store remedies for high BP and nothing worked either.

M0nica

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What’s a zombie thread?

Yes, it does seem odd doesn't it, primrose, that someone who as it were ticks all the healthy lifestyle boxes can still have high BP which, they tell us, increases one's risk of things like heart attack and stroke. But that seems to suggest that the healthy lifestyle advice is just more of the usual and doesn't apply when other, unknown factors are at play. Then there's genetics.

I hope your husband is progressing well towards recovery 🌹

Baggs

Yes, it does seem odd doesn't it, primrose, that someone who as it were ticks all the healthy lifestyle boxes can still have high BP which, they tell us, increases one's risk of things like heart attack and stroke. But that seems to suggest that the healthy lifestyle advice is just more of the usual and doesn't apply when other, unknown factors are at play. Then there's genetics.

I hope your husband is progressing well towards recovery 🌹

I am mystified Baggs. There were several cases of strokes in the last 6 months in our (large) village. It seems exercise makes no difference either. One woman is a regular walker and thinks nothing of walking 10-12 miles a day. One man has been a runner for as long as I know him. He is about 70. Another man walked to and from work every day, a 3 mile round walk. Another woman (50) is a keen cyclist and is on her feet all day at work. Obviously I don’t know if any of them have high BP.

As CanadianGran asked for advice over 3 years ago I think there’s a chance she might have sorted her problem.

petra

As CanadianGran asked for advice over 3 years ago I think there’s a chance she might have sorted her problem.

I am sure we realise this thank you petra but discussing High BP is still as relevant now as it was 3 years ago.