We have discussed previously on how high blood pressure and high cholesterol are in the top of the disease chart in the US and most of the world. 3 of the top 10 medications prescribed in the US are for high blood pressure and high cholesterol. Granted, most people are fine taking 1-3 medications a day plus some more for possible side-effects, some people are looking for adjunctive ways to help reduce blood pressure. Similarly, you may be borderline on high blood pressure and you have been prescribed diet and exercise by your doctor. So where do you go from there?
We talked in a previous post about herbs for heart health about herbs and tea and much more information on heart health. Here we will give you a quick recipe on adding some foods to lower blood pressure. Diet and exercise to keep your blood pressure under control or lower it includes: higher intake of fiber, lower intake of salt, lower intake of bad fats, monitor correct cholesterol intake levels, and move your carb intake to whole food and non-refined. Exercise by the American Heart Association is recommended as 150 minutes of moderate exercise a week. Basically if you do a brisk walk you want to do 30 minutes a day for 5 days. You can cut this in half with intense exercise.
Ok, so that is what we are told to contain our blood pressure and hopefully lower it, but what can we do to lower it? Luckily food therapy and herbal therapy have been used in Chinese Medicine for thousands of years. Additionally, China has spent lots of money in the last 50 years on research to prove or disprove many of these traditional therapies and advice. High blood pressure remedies from foods (remember herbs are often foods) are quite effective. So, let’s look at this juice or smoothie drink we have for you.
Using a blender, food processor, juicer, or anything else you want at together:
Granny Smith Apple- Typically use a whole or half a cored apple
Celery- Celery is a big item here and has many other health effects, use a 1-2 stalks at least
Parsley- Play with this one a little, a healthy pinch will do good but some may need to start lower to not over-power your drink
Bitter Melon- This can be more bitter to some than others, but the apple should overpower this. You will have to play with how much you use here.
Cucumber- Cucumber is quite refreshing this way and will add good taste, start with half to a quarter cucumber and modify from there.
No set recipe here, it is a great way to include a juice or smoothie in the morning for blood pressure. Since you should take this for a long period of time, it is more important to find a good ratio that you will enjoy daily! Feel free to send us comments on what ratio you came up with.
