10 foods to avoid if you have high blood pressure + herbs that can help

What foods should you actually eat or avoid if you have high blood pressure? It's one of the most common conditions I see clinically and there are lots of Chinese herbs that can really help dramatically as well. Now in this video we're going to discuss some of the foods day-to-day that are the most likely offenders if you have hypertension and again we'll also discuss herbal approaches that have clinically been shown to help. But day-to-day you should probably know what foods to stop eating because these are some of the most common ones. Hey guys I'm Dr. Alex Hein, board-licensed acupuncturist and doctor of traditional Chinese medicine and author of the health book Master of the Day. So let's get it. I had a very interesting experience a couple years ago when I first opened my practice. You know I had a man that was about middle-aged coming in and he was primarily coming in for acid reflux and a lot of indigestion. So every day after meals he was getting lots of burning, lots of burping, lots of just nausea especially at night when he would lay down and also he was very very constipated. So I gave him a famous formula that the base formula is a formula called Banxia purged the heart decoction and within about a month his symptoms were about 80% gone. And so while the plan was to keep him on this formula for several more months he said you know what there's something else Dr. Hein. Actually my blood pressure dropped from 140 to 120 and he said for the first time even on blood pressure medication my blood pressure has been low enough that I was able to get off my blood pressure medication. So whatever is in your formula is able to treat my blood pressure. Now I didn't think much of it because that wasn't his chief complaint that he was coming to see me for. But I looked into the literature and sure enough in China this formula is used to treat high blood pressure and since then I've used it to treat hundreds of cases of high blood pressure especially in people that want to get off medication or don't want it in the first place because they're young. So we'll talk more about some of the herbs clinically shown at the end of this video but let's jump in and talk about the 10 most common foods that are offenders. Food number one is salt and salty foods. Excessive sodium intake can cause the body to retain water increasing blood volume and also raising your blood pressure. So foods that are high in salt also include foods you might not be thinking of processed foods, canned soups and even excessively salty snacks. Food group number two is processed foods. Processed meats in particular are extremely damaging because meats like deli meat, bacon, sausage they're often very high in sodium and preservatives which can contribute to the high blood pressure because of food group number one's explanation. Food group number three that can be contributing is actually canned foods and this falls into the sort of processed food category but it's worth knowing because just like if you're trying to avoid sugar you might be surprised your morning latte has it, your pizza dough and pizza sauce has it, bread has it, lots of foods have added sugar. So when we talk about canned foods, canned vegetables and soups often contain added sodium for preservation. So for example if you look at Campbell's chicken soup it has way higher sodium than you might think and you can have two of those and already surpass your daily required dose or amount of sodium. So try to get fresh or frozen vegetables instead if possible but sometimes this can sneak up on you. Food group number four is fast food items. Now fast foods in particular because they are highly processed and have so many additives and often very low quality meats they can contribute to hypertension in a number of ways. For example items like hamburgers, tacos and fried foods, yes they're high in sodium which was food group number one, they're also high in trans fats and saturated fats all of which can negatively impact your blood pressure as well. Now also if you're not sure where your high blood pressure is coming from maybe you don't eat that bad or maybe you even eat well. Make sure you go through my free root cause quiz. We break down exactly where your symptoms are coming from including high blood pressure, heart issues, kidney issues, digestive issues. There's a quiz, a 10 page quiz for each organ network and links to the videos that we've shot that will help you figure out from a traditional Chinese medicine point of view what is likely the cause and the signs and symptoms of this. So it's the link right below this video check it out because it goes along well with this. Food group number five is sugary foods and beverages and I think the most dangerous ones are liquid carbs, soda, sweet tea, even fruit juices because you think you're not eating that much and you're not. But I've seen people who but they drink several sodas a day and they have 50 pounds to lose, they have fatty liver, they have all kinds of GI issues. So sugary foods, excessive sugar intake in general can lead to weight gain and increase your blood pressure. So think about sodas, sweet teas, candies, and baked goods are the most dangerous at least for me. Food number six, alcohol especially in excess. So alcohol can raise blood pressure so I would say in general try to limit your drinks to one per day for women and two for men. But again this is one of those food groups that basically less is better. But I'm not trying to say you shouldn't have your glass of wine and your cup of coffee every day. You're an adult you can choose how you want to live your life but that's a relatively healthy limit. Beyond that it may have negative effects. Food group seven, caffeine and energy drinks. High caffeine intake can cause a temporary spike in blood pressure. Sometimes it can contribute to longer term blood pressure issues. So for some people moving towards green tea is a better alternative. Also lots of people have upper GI issues and digestive issues that coffee is horrible for. I mean coffee is one of the worst offenders in terms of symptomatically flaring up acid reflux, indigestion, even frequent stools that some people have a problem with. So if that's the case try limiting to one cup of coffee a day and focus more on green tea because there are other benefits as well from the green tea. Food group number eight is cheese. So when we talk about cheese many cheeses are high in saturated fat and also surprisingly sodium. So try to opt for low sodium and reduced fat varieties if you can or just eat good quality cheese and consume it more in moderation. Food group number nine is packaged and baked goods. Now I don't know about you but my mortal weakness when it comes to sugar is not soda, is not ice cream, it's a nice pain au chocolat, a nice chocolate croissant that's this big and leaves me bloated for six hours. That is just my absolute drug. There's a farmer's market here in Los Angeles they have a Tunisian bakery and they are the most authentic french croissant that you can buy and they are deadly. So if baked goods are a problem for you be careful because when we talk about baked goods they fall into the category of processed foods. They have high amounts of sugar, salt and sometimes trans fats. All of which can increase your blood pressure. Finally food group number 10 is condiments. Again this is one of those things that's sneaky. We talked about how for example pizza sauce often has added sugar, bread has added sugar, your latte can have simple syrup in it. You may never even know. Condiments like soy sauce, ketchup and others can be high in sodium and sugar. So try to choose low sodium versions or try to find natural ingredients like herbs and spices that can help in your condiments instead. So what traditional Chinese medicine herbs can really help you? Now there are dozens that can help with hypertension. I can tell you from experience I treat hypertension a lot and the conversation usually is look worst case scenario you end up on blood pressure medication but especially if you're young why don't we try for three months for six months if it's not at a dangerous level to get your levels down. Very often we can but if we can't just do the medication. And in the interim we're using Chinese formulas that have been used for thousands of years. So what are some of the key TCM herbs that can help? One is called Danshen or Danshen which is called salvia. Salvia has been used for its cardiovascular benefits and research shows it can improve cardiac function, reduce oxidative stress and help prevent atherosclerosis. Herb number two is called Huangqi or astragalus. Now the way that Huangqi or astragalus can improve hypertension also it's a very potent anti-cancer herb. Right on the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center they have a whole entry on how Huangqi is very effective for anti-cancer potential. This herb strengthens the heart muscle and improves cardiac function but also astragalus increases nitric oxide production which helps dilate blood vessels and improve blood flow. Third is ginseng. Panix ginseng. Ginseng has been found to help regulate blood pressure and also improve overall cardiovascular health but there are so many other benefits to ginseng which is why it is such a problematic cash prop. Improves cognitive function, great for depression, great for digestive issues and also any chronic stressor that involves the HPA axis, the hypothalamic pituitary adrenal axis, ginseng is amazing for. Chronic anxiety, stress insomnia, one of my favorite herbs. Don't forget get this quiz, this little card here will help you download that. It's going to be very useful to figure out what you need to do to work on your blood pressure and also I work with a limited number of new patients every month in my clinic in Los Angeles or virtually via telemedicine so if you guys want just go to dralexheim.com forward slash clinic or the bio below has all the info on my clinic, the phone number, etc. And then we have another great related video on this topic for you right here.