Posted on January 14 2018
According to new guidelines announced last week from a dozen different medical groups (like the American Heart Association and the American College of Cardiology) “high” blood pressure is now defined as a blood pressure reading of 130 over 80 or higher. If either the systolic pressure (the first number) is 130 and over, or the diastolic pressure (the second number) is 80 or over, you officially have high blood pressure.
The former definition for high blood pressure was 140 over 90. Even more sobering, “normal” blood pressure is now defined as 120 over 80. A reading between 120 and 130 over 80 is considered to be “elevated” blood pressure. The stricter standard definition of high blood pressure means that an additional 30 million Americans are added to the approximately 75 million Americans who are already considered to have high blood pressure, totaling about half of all adults, maybe including you. The older you are, the more likely it is that you will have high blood pressure because aging reduces the flexibility of our arteries and increases the buildup of plaque in our arteries, making the heart pump harder to circulate blood throughout our bodies.
High blood pressure accounts for the second largest number of preventable heart disease diagnoses and stroke deaths (second only to smoking). High blood pressure is sometimes called “the silent killer” because the first symptom of untreated high blood pressure may be a heart attack, stroke or kidney damage. It usually does not produce noticeable “symptoms” that alert us to the potential danger of having high blood pressure. The only way to know if you have high blood pressure is to have your blood pressure tested, which is important to do regularly (at l.east once a year), because an increase in your systolic pressure of 20, or of 10 in your diastolic pressure, doubles your risk of strokes and death.
Unless your blood pressure is very high (140 over 90 or higher) high blood pressure can typically be effectively managed through diet and exercise. A heart-healthy diet is similar to the healthy diet that you are already familiar with: lots of fruits and vegetables, whole-grains, and low-fat dairy products. You should limit your intake of saturated and trans fats, salt, red meat, alcohol, and sugary foods and drinks. Heart-healthy diets have been shown to lower blood pressure by 10 or more points. And, of course, even if you do not have high blood pressure, a heart-healthy diet will help protect you from getting it as you grow older.
So, you know what you need to do to maintain a healthy blood pressure and heart health. A healthy diet and exercise. Are you going to do it? I am going to suggest one easy and doable step that you can take to improve your heart health: start taking Juice Plus+ whole-food nutritional supplements. Each Juice Plus+ capsule contains the nutrients from 10 or more organically and naturally grown fruits and vegetables. If you take all three capsules (Garden Blend, Orchard Blend, and especially the Vineyard Blend) you will be getting the equivalent of 31 different fruits and vegetables in your diet every day. Of course, you still need to work on reducing your intake of all those harmful foods, and you still need to work on getting more exercise every day, but wholesale changes in our diet, and in our schedules, are often very difficult to make. But, you can fit taking Juice Plus+ capsules into your routine. I guarantee it. And if you do, you will have taken the first, and most important step, towards better heart health. You owe it to yourself and your loved ones to seriously consider taking this one simple step. You can obtain Juice Plus+ capsules and other products (Complete Shake Mix and Omega capsules) at Objects of Desire Artful Living. Because Artful Living is healthy living. Come see me. Let’s talk.
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