Defeating Disease

High blood pressure

Top tips for treating high blood pressure:

• Lose weight if necessary. A low-fat veggie diet is a successful aid to weight loss. Try the VVF’s V-Plan Diet;
• Reduce salt in your diet. Adults should not exceed 6g of salt per day. Use less in cooking, avoid adding it at the table, avoid salty snacks, such as crisps, and canned foods with added salt. Try using fresh herbs and spices to flavour your food instead. It won’t be long before your taste buds adapt;
• Choose more vegetarian foods – they protect and strengthen your heart and blood vessels:
  1. Fruits – fresh or frozen, eg bananas, oranges, apples, pears, grapefruit, mango, strawberries and blueberries;
  2. Vegetables – fresh or frozen, eg broccoli, kale, spinach, carrots, potatoes, tomatoes, squash and corn;
  3. Wholegrains – eg brown rice, wholewheat bread or pasta, unsweetened cereal, millet, barley, buckwheat and quinoa;
  4. Pulses (peas, all types of beans and lentils) – eg no added salt kidney beans, pinto beans, lentils, black-eyed peas, chickpeas, soya milk, textured vegetable protein and tofu;
• Avoid meat and dairy – both contain saturated animal fat and cholesterol;
• Eat ‘good’ fats – essential omega-3 from flaxseed, hempseed and their oils, walnuts and dark green leafy vegetables help protect your blood vessels;
• Exercise regularly – set yourself a daily target of 10,000 steps. The VVF pedometer can help you on your way to health and fitness. Order from our webshop;
• Stop smoking – after just one year you’ll have halved your risk of heart disease;
• Reduce stress as much as possible – practice healthy coping techniques, such as muscle relaxation and deep breathing. Getting plenty of sleep can help, too;
• Reduce your alcohol consumption to no more than one or two drinks per day.