To your heart's content

Natural Health, Sept-Oct, 1998 by Victoria Abbott Riccardi

Heart-healthy meals made with targeted ingredients such as potassium-rich greens can reduce blood pressure as effectively as prescription drugs.

EARLIER THIS YEAR. RESEARCHERS OF THE LANDMARK DASH STUDY (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) determined that foods have the same dramatic effect on blood pressure as the most powerful prescription drugs. Conducted at six major medical centers, this study concluded that eating nine to 10 servings of fruits and vegetables a day (double the amount recommended by the National Cancer Institute) brought blood pressure down as quickly and as significantly as beta blockers (such as Atenolol) and diuretics (such as Hydrochlorothyazoid)--but without the negative side effects.

* Blood pressure of 120/80 is normal; but 140/90 or above is considered high. The first number reflects the systolic pressure of the blood in the arteries as the heart is beating; the second number is the diastolic pressure as the heart rests between beats. DASH participants with high blood pressure (measuring at least 140/90) experienced an 8 percent drop in systolic pressure and a 6 percent drop in diastolic pressure.

What was especially interesting about this study, says Edgar R. Miller III, M.D., Ph.D., assistant professor of medicine at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in Baltimore and co-author of the DASH study, was that the reduction in blood pressure took place in two weeks and was sustained for the duration of the five-week study.

Mind Your Minerals

The hypotensive (blood pressure-lowering) benefit of a fruit-and-vegetable rich diet is further enhanced when you include foods high in potassium and calcium. As we compiled our recipes, we paid attention to these minerals.

This past January, researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health reported that eating potassium-rich fruits and vegetables, such as oranges, winter squash, and green leafy vegetables; can lower blood pressure significantly The subjects of the study, who all had normal blood pressure, were given 1,600 mg of potassium a day. They experienced an average 2-percent decrease in blood pressure over the four-month study Previous studies have shown that potassium has an even greater hypotensive effect on people with high blood pressure, according to Frank M. Sacks, M.D., professor of nutrition at the Harvard School of Public Health.

How does potassium work? Connie Diekman, a St. Louis-based nutritionist who specializes in cardiovascular disease, explains that potassium actually helps prevent fluid retention, which in turn prevents pressure on the arterial walls. Potassium, together with moderate amounts of sodium, keeps all muscles, including the heart, Contracting and relaxing properly

The question of how much potassium you need is a little more complicated. There is currently no USRDA for potassium, and therefore you won't find it listed on most nutrition labels. While participants in the Harvard study ate a modest 1,600 mg in food per day, the usually conservative Food and Drug Administration recently published a recommended Daily Value of 3,500 mg. Our recipes supply between 500 and 2,000 mg of potassium per serving (see nutritional data at the end of each recipe for exact numbers).

There is reason to believe that calcium may also help lower blood pressure. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services reported that this mineral keeps blood vessels flexible, which is important when the force of the blood flowing through them begins to increase. Premenopausal women need 1,200 mg of calcium a day to maintain strong bones; five of our recipes supply between 100 and 250 mg of calcium per serving.

Other Important Foods

In addition to potassium-rich foods, there are others that lower blood pressure. Nutrition expert James Duke. Ph.D., author of The Green Pharmacy (Rodale, 1997), explains that fava beans, celery, tomatoes, and onions contain several chemicals with hypotensive activity. For example, lava beans contain a natural diuretic, which promotes the excretion of salt, explains Duke. Celery, which has long been used in Chinese medicine to reduce hypertension, contains natural compounds akin to those found in prescription blood pressure medication, and tomatoes contain gamma-amino butyric acid, which helps normalize blood pressure.

Furthermore, as little as one clove of garlic a day can reduce hypertension, according to Varro Tyler, Ph.D., former dean and professor emeritus of pharmacognosy (natural product pharmacy) at Purdue University in Indiana. How does this work? Garlic lowers the levels of blood fats and seems to relax the blood vessels, says Shiva Barton, N.D., a naturopathic physician in Cambridge, Mass.

Watch the Salt and Fat

Because being overweight is one of the biggest contributing factors to high blood pressure, our recipes are low in fat and calories and contain large quantities of fiber.

What's more, they contain no added salt, because, for some people, a high salt diet can contribute to high blood pressure.

When cooking at home, you'll get more fiber and nutrients, and have more control over the amount of added salt, if you reach for whole foods instead of processed and refined ones. Also check labels for hidden sources of sodium, which lurks in salad dressings, baked goods, and soft drinks. Buy low-sodium soups and soy sauce, and if you are not preparing beans from scratch, be sure to rinse and drain them before using.