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I am shocked at what may be causing my high blood pressure.

Posted , 11 users are following.

Ecpool
Ecpool

i am not overweight. Drink a healthy smoothie and whole grain cereal almost every morning yet my BP is still high. (100/170). I was  told it may be because of elevated insulin levels caused by the fruit drinks and whole grains (as well as the potato, rice, pasta and breads) that I eat. These are things that easily break down into sugars and cause the issue. (Basically a carb issue). Am I supposed to go on one of those caveman diets? Has anyone tried lowering their carb intake to lower their BP? 

0 likes, 53 replies

53 Replies

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  • rdgfootyfan
    rdgfootyfan Ecpool

    Posted

    I've been loosely following the '8 week blood sugar diet' to start lowering my BP.  It's designed for people with Type 2 Diabetes or who are pre-diabetic.  It's based on research at the University of Newcastle.  I'm reducing sugar and carbs and weight to reduce my BP, and hopefully, come of BP meds.

    I intend to fully start the 8 week programme in three weeks' time when I return from hols.  

    I also follow a 5:2 eating pattern, and eat within a 10 hour period each day.

    My BP is steadying at a low level instead of fluctuating owing to stress etc.

    • Ecpool
      Ecpool rdgfootyfan

      Posted

       Where can I find a copy of the 8 week blood sugar diet?  Does it seem like a hard diet to follow? Please keep us posted on your progress. 
    • rdgfootyfan
      rdgfootyfan Ecpool

      Posted

      Most good book shops and Amazon.  There are friendly and helpful user groups on Twitter and Facebook.  The Daily Mail ran a series of articles about the diet earlier this year.  Most people seem to report good results in their blood sugar count coming down.

       

    • GettingOld
      GettingOld rdgfootyfan

      Posted

      Oh, ten HOUR.  I've been eating every ten minutes.  It just goes to show you, you can't just skim, you really have to read all the words.
  • MrsO-UK_Surrey
    MrsO-UK_Surrey Ecpool

    Posted

    Ecpool, very often there is no particular cause behind elevated BP.  It could be genetic and totally unrelated to your lifestyle.  However, for some people it can often be brought more under control by following a healthy diet, avoiding salt and caffeine, having plenty of exercise and losing weight if relevant.   If none of that works, then medication is needed.

    By the way, is your BP really 100/170 or did you mean to type 170/100 - 170 being the systolic (higher) figure and 100 the diastolic (lower) figure?

    Have you actually been diagnosed with elevated insulin levels from blood test results?  If so, then you certainly need to reduce the amount of carbs you are eating, especially those that have been refined as in white bread, white pasta, white  rice etc as they all turn to sugar in our bodies, as you are already aware. I totally agree with RHGB - rather than drinking smoothies, it is far healthier to eat the actual veg and fruit as a whole, otherwise the healthy fibres are broken down and lost in the smoothies.

    • Ecpool
      Ecpool MrsO-UK_Surrey

      Posted

      Salt is touph because they put it in everything. We do go out to eat alot and I'm sure they don't go easy on the salt. I don't drink coffee but I just started drinking tea (maybe that's not a good idea).

      You're right, I got my numbers backwards. It should be 170/100.

      No I haven't got dianosed with elevated insulin levels. Just read an article that described all the carbs that I eat and said that is  a good possiblility of the cause of high BP. I love bread, patsta, rice etc. and probably eat too much of it.  

      I found out this info when doing research on taking magnesium to lower blood pressure. I am trying to do everything I can to avoid medication. 

       

    • rdgfootyfan
      rdgfootyfan derek76

      Posted

      I tried beetroot juice.  Had to stop after 3 days as my BP was rising!   

       

    • lily65668
      lily65668 rdgfootyfan

      Posted

      Probably because it tasted so terrible! I never got further than the first mouthful, though I know some people actually enjoy the stuff.
    • MrsO-UK_Surrey
      MrsO-UK_Surrey derek76

      Posted

      No, I gave it up quite quickly, Derek - didn't like everything coming out beetroot coloured at the other end!!redface  Still have a portion each day with my salad though.
    • Ecpool
      Ecpool lily65668

      Posted

      If you put in a smoothie you don't really taste it that much...

       

    • GettingOld
      GettingOld MrsO-UK_Surrey

      Posted

      I only had that once, and when I googled it, someone said that only happens when one is deficient in iron.   I have been supplementing twice a week, or every day when I have my period, and that problem never recurred.  As I said, it only happened once, so I am not really sure if the iron had anything to do with it.
  • Bob37393
    Bob37393 Ecpool

    Posted

    You can still drive an HGV if your blood pressure is less than 180/100 mm Hg resting.

    The WHO health target is 140/90 mm Hg if under 80.

    Therefore there must be lots of unhealthy HGV drivers on the road!

    Weight lifters are likely to reach 300 mm Hg systolic when performing so they must be particularly unhealthy.

     

  • GettingOld
    GettingOld Ecpool

    Posted

    Unless your doctor says that your blood sugar is high, I would not worry about that.  What sort of excercise do you do?  Also, maybe see if you have Celiacs or some food allergy.
    • Ecpool
      Ecpool GettingOld

      Posted

      I have done weight training excersising for many years but have really made an effort in the last couple of weeks to do cardio workouts. (Riding a recumbant bike for 30min each night). I have also just started taking magnesium (now on my 2nd day). I am also doing my best to reduce my sugar intake. That has been my biggest and pretty much only addiction. My fingers are crossed for some good results.
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