after day, this can be very taxing on your system. Exercise can help to reduce the amount of stress hormones in your body. This is why even a 10-minute walk every day can be very helpful.
.....Your diet can also affect your blood pressure. Processed foods, foods high in sodium (salt), sugary snacks, caffeine, animal products, fatty foods, and excessive alcohol intake (more that 2 per day) have all been associated with raising blood pressure. While fruits and vegetables, high fibre-low fat foods, and fish have been shown to lower it. This doesn’t mean that you need to avoid the foods you love completely; you should just save them for special occasions. The Canadian food guide has some excellent recommendations to help improve your diet. I don’t usually recommend diets promoted by nutrition or fitness |
‘gurus’, because their books are expensive and may be complicated. I do recommend one called the DASH diet. In one study, people who followed this diet were able to lower their blood pressure. A copy of this diet can be found free on the Internet at http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov Remember to consult your Doctor or Nutritionist before making major changes to your diet.
.....There are several supplements that can help to lower your blood pressure. Garlic is the product most commonly taken to help lower blood pressure. In some studies, it has been shown to help reduce blood pressure by about 10%. The doses recommended vary. I recommend taking the equivalent of 4 garlic cloves a day and most supplements will state how much raw garlic each tablet contains. I don’t |
recommend using garlic oil capsules for lowering blood pressure; they tend to not be as effective.
.....Generally, there are few side effects associated with garlic supplements.  The most common side effects are heartburn, indigestion, dizziness, nausea and bad breath. This bad breath and skin odour can even occur when one takes an “odourless” form of garlic. The most noted drug interaction with garlic involves its ability to enhance the
Ian Lloyd...Continued On Page 8 |
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