The Pressure is On by Aliza Beer, MS RD

Health & F tness The Pressure is On

Foods For Better Blood Flow

By Aliza Beer MS, RD, CDN

Hypertension occurs when your blood pressure, the force of blood flowing through your blood vessels, is consistently high. In order to function and survive, your tissues and organs need a constant supply of oxygenated blood and nutrients. Your heart creates a pressure as it beats, and this drives blood through the blood vessels. Blood pressure is determined by both the amount of blood that flows through the arteries and how hard it is for the blood to move through the arteries. The more blood the heart pumps and the narrower the arteries, the higher the blood pressure.

The first force, known as systolic pressure, occurs as blood is pumped away from the heart to the rest of the body, and the second force, diastolic pressure, happens when the heart is at rest. Many bodily systems are involved in the maintenance of blood pressure, including the sympathetic nervous system and the kidney. When blood pressure falls, the peripheral resistance of your blood vessels increases, which causes blood pressure to rise, forcing the heart to work harder. Additionally, the kidney constantly works to tightly control the fluid volume to maintain blood pressure. Abnormal blood pressure is typically multifactorial, and maintaining blood flow at an optimal pressure and ensuring it does not become too high or too low is important for our health.

Hypertension increases your risk for developing other health conditions. High blood pressure may adversely affect the elasticity of your blood vessels, which decreases the flow of blood and oxygen to your heart and may contribute to the onset of heart disease. Decreased blood flow may also result in chest pain, known as angina, a heart attack, stroke, or heart failure.

Measuring Blood Pressure

Blood pressure is measured using an inflatable cuff around the arm and is a measure of two numbers – systolic and diastolic blood pressure. Normal blood pressure is a systolic pressure of less than 120 mmHg and diastolic pressure of less than 80 mmHg. A systolic blood pressure of 120-129 mmHg and a diastolic pressure less than 80 mmHg is considered elevated. A systolic reading of 130 mmHg and higher or a diastolic reading of higher than 80 mmHg is classified as hypertension. If your systolic reading is higher than 180 mmHg and/or your diastolic reading is higher than 120 mmHg, you are in hypertensive crisis and should immediately consult your doctor. Most people with hypertension have no symptoms, even when blood pressure readings are high, and therefore monitoring your blood pressure is important, particularly if you are at risk for hypertension.

Hypertension typically develops over time. While certain medications and pre-existing health conditions may contribute to high blood pressure, unhealthy lifestyle choices, including a sedentary lifestyle and poor diet, are also a significant risk factor.

Prevent/ Control Hypertension

Healthy lifestyle factors, including diet and exercise, may help to both prevent and control hypertension.

Weight Management

There is a strong association between BMI and hypertension. A healthy BMI is less than 25, a BMI of 25-30 is considered overweight, and a BMI of 30 or greater is clinically obese. Being overweight places extra strain on your heart, which increases your risk for developing hypertension and damage to your blood vessels. Maintaining a healthy weight is critical for maintaining optimum health. body to hold onto water in order to dilute the high volume of sodium in your blood. The excess water in your blood places extra pressure on the walls of your blood vessels, and this may raise your blood pressure. The American Heart Association recommends keeping sodium consumption to less than 2,300 mg/day and an ideal limit of no more than 1,500 mg/ day. Foods high in sodium include many canned or highly processed foods such as hot dogs, burgers or canned soup. When selecting canned products, it is important to check the labels to choose the option that has no added sodium. Additionally, many nuts or nut butters have salt added to them. When selecting your nut butter, choose peanut butter or almond butter with no added salt, especially as these foods naturally contain sodium.

Many foods naturally contain sodium such as fish and cheese, and therefore ensuring we do not add additional sodium to our diets is critical. Instead of flavoring foods with sodium, try to use other spices such as cumin, paprika or ginger, or flavorful herbs such as dill, parsley, and basil to enhance the taste of food. On food labels, low sodium means the food contains 35mg or less of sodium per 100g food. Sodium- or salt-free foods have less than 5mg of sodium per serving.

Alcohol

Excessive alcohol consumption may contribute to hypertension. Alcohol increases blood levels of the hormone renin, which causes the blood vessels to constrict. This hormone also decreases the amount of fluid your body eliminates as urine. This combination of a higher fluid level and the narrower blood vessels increases blood pressure. While drinking alcohol may initially decrease blood pressure, as it causes substances such as nitric oxide to be released, which increases the

diameter of blood vessels, the long-term effects of drinking high volumes of alcohol causes blood pressure to increase.

The Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend that men limit their intake to two drinks or less per day and one drink or less for women.

Cholesterol and Fats

A diet high in cholesterol and saturated or trans-fat is an increased risk factor for developing hypertension. Over time, a diet high in cholesterol may lead to plaque buildup in your arteries, known as atherosclerosis. Atherosclerosis occurs when fats or cholesterol are deposited in and on the artery walls which obstructs blood flow. Foods high in cholesterol, as well as both trans and saturated fats, should be limited from the diet to prevent hypertension. Examples of these foods include full-fat dairy products (cheese, wholemilk, full fat yogurt), processed meat, red meat, fried foods, baked goods and sweets, as well as egg yolk.

While LDL (bad) cholesterol raises your risk for hypertension, antioxidant rich food, such as fatty fish, olive oil, certain nuts and seeds, have been found to raise your HDL (good) cholesterol. LDL cholesterol deposits cholesterol in the arteries, and HDL helps to remove cholesterol and prevent the build-up of plaque formation. Focusing on a diet that is high in unsaturated fats and antioxidants and low in both saturated, trans-fats and cholesterol will help to prevent hypertension. Limiting your dietary intake of trans-fat is particularly important, because while both saturated and trans-fat may contribute to the development of hypertension, trans-fat increases LDL cholesterol and decreases HDL cholesterol. Trans-fats are found in shortening, margarine, commercial baked and frozen foods.

Physical Activity

Exercise is beneficial to blood pressure. Individuals with hypertension should perform at least 150 minutes per week of moderate-intensity activity (brisk walking) per week or 75 minutes per week of vigorous intensity aerobic exercise (hiking, jogging, running, swimming). Additionally, individuals should perform muscle-strengthening activities at least two days per week. Performing physical activity helps to strengthen your heart and lower stress levels, which also contribute to high blood pressure. blood pressure. The DASH diet focuses on foods high in the minerals calcium, potassium and magnesium. The combination of these minerals has been found to lower blood pressure. Calcium interacts with hormones which help to regulate the smooth muscle contractions of the heart. Magnesium is also an inhibitor of smooth-muscle contraction of the heart and may play a role in blood pressure regulation as a vasodilator. Potassium and sodium are electrolytes that help your

The DASH diet is high in fiber, while limiting sodium, saturated fat and added sugar.

Snacks: • Carrots and hummus • Chia seed pudding • Dark chocolate unsalted almonds • Banana with almond butter

Following an eating pattern, such as the DASH diet, that consists of foods high in fiber, magnesium, calcium and potassium, while limiting dietary sources of cholesterol, trans and saturated fats, is heart protective. This in combination with a consistent exercise regime will help prevent hypertension, while simultaneously promoting optimum health.

body to function and maintain a normal blood and fluid volume. Potassium and sodium have an inverse relationship, and when potassium levels rise, sodium levels fall. This relationship is tightly maintained by the kidney.

The DASH diet is high in fiber, while limiting sodium, saturated fat and added sugar. The DASH diet is an eating pattern that provides daily and weekly nutritional goals. The number of servings recommended depends on your daily caloric needs.

Examples of the DASH diet for a 2000 calories/day diet:

Grains: 6-8 servings daily. • One serving is one slice bread, 1oz dry cereal, or ½ cup cooked whole grain cereal, brown rice or whole wheat pasta.

Vegetables: 4-5 servings daily. • One serving is 1 cup raw leafy green vegetables, or ½ cup-raw or cooked vegetables.

Fruits: 4-5 servings daily. • One serving is one medium fruit, ½ cup fresh, frozen or canned fruit.

Fat-free or low-fat dairy: 2-3 servings daily. • One serving is one 1 cup milk or yogurt.

Lean meats, poultry and fish: 6 1oz servings or fewer daily. • One serving is 1oz cooked meat, poultry or fish, or 1 egg

Nuts, seeds and legumes: 4-5 servings a week. • One serving is ¹/₃ cup nuts, 2 tablespoons peanut butter, 2 tablespoons seeds, or ½ cup cooked legumes (dried beans or peas).

Fats and oils: 2-3 servings daily. • One serving is 1 teaspoon vegetable oil, 1 tablespoon low-fat mayonnaise or 2 tablespoons low-fat salad dressing.

Sweets and added sugars: 5 servings or fewer a week. • One serving is 1 tablespoon sugar, jelly or jam, ½ cup sorbet or 1 cup lemonade.

Meal/Snack Examples:

Breakfast: • 1 cup Greek yogurt + nuts, seeds and berries with agave or monk fruit.

• ½ cup oatmeal + berries, seeds, banana, and peanut-butter. • 1 slice whole-wheat toast with lox and low-fat cream cheese.

Lunch/Dinner: • Salmon salad with nuts, seeds, and quinoa. • Tuna salad on whole-wheat toast with tomatoes and pepper. • Chicken with sweet potatoes and roasted beets. • Grilled herbed chicken in olive oil with whole-wheat pasta and broccoli.

Aliza Beer is a registered dietitian with a master’s degree in nutrition. She has a private practice in Cedarhurst, NY. Patients’ success has been featured on the Dr. Oz show. Aliza can be reached at alizabeer@gmail.com, and you can follow her on Instagram at @alizabeer