Readings of
140 over 90 to 160 over 95 are borderline.
Anything above 180 over 115 is severely elevated. More than borderline, less than elevated… that was
me. High
blood pressure is thought to affect one in five adults in the UK
and is
often associated with coronary heart disease and
kidney disorders. I had no symptoms at all but warning signs can include:
Headaches
Sweating
Dizziness
Shortness of
breath
Vision
problems.
The GP said I should visit him for a check-up in a month. They like to double and treble check to get an average
reading.
Four weeks later, after a trip to Spain
, lightly
bronzed and brimming with good health, I bounced
into the surgery. The blood pressure monitor was applied to my arm. Relaxed and
confident I waited for the good news. The doctor
removed the apparatus.
“Sorry,” he said, “I’m afraid
it’s up again.”
“Are you sure?” I squeaked.
“It’s 180 over 100.”
I was inclined to be sulky. It seemed that the holiday had done me no
good at all.
My GP was sympathetic.
“Let’s see if there’s anything in your lifestyle that could account for it,
“ he said. “ What about exercise?”
“Lots!” I replied virtuously “ Tennis,
badminton, yoga, walking!”
“Good, good,” he nodded. “ Tell me about
your diet.”
“I don’t touch fried food, or roasts,”
I whined. “ I have plenty of fibre, I use skimmed milk, eat at least five
portions of fruit and vegetables a day, eat wholemeal bread, no butter, and hardly drink
at all.”
 “Do you eat much salt?”
He couldn’t catch me out.
“I don’t use it in cooking, don’t add it
to my meals, don’t eat many crisps, or bacon.”
“Right,” he said. “Take
these diet sheets and see if you think there are any changes you could make and we’ll
keep on testing you for a little longer.”
I took them, rather sniffily. I already knew what they were going to tell me. More
water, more fruit and vegetable, fewer fats and cut down on salt .
Salt has had a lot of bad
publicity in recent years despite being a vital
ingredient in the human diet for centuries. It is a valuable commodity. Food is preserved
in salt. People get cramp if they don’t have enough. My family always automatically
added salt to every meal but, following the advice of the food gurus, I had stopped doing
that. So I could not see that this bit of paper was going to help me.
A few days later I read an
article on nutrition which said “Table salt is high in the mineral which raises blood
pressure. This happens because sodium causes the blood vessels to contract. The minerals
magnesium and potassium, on the other hand, can help relax blood vessels and decrease
blood pressure.”
I never knew that bit about causing the blood vessels to contract. But I don’t eat salt or salted food –
apart from a few olives.
Actually, I do have rather a lot of olives when I am Spain. It would be fair to say that I guzzle them -nibble
them before meals, add them to salads, eat them with sandwiches – probably four or more ounces a day. I started to
think about this. Stupidly I had not taken on board that olives are preserved in salt.
Also I had been eating salted sunflower seeds in the belief that they were good for me,
and Spanish meals are often heavily salted.
Could this be causing my high
blood pressure?
I decided to follow the diet sheets to the letter - no more smoked fish, salted meats, stock cubes,
vegetable extracts, soy sauce, crisps, ready made meals, pickles or sauces. And I heeded the advice about magnesium and
potassium, I devoured fruit and broccoli and seeds, all of which provide these minerals.
Two weeks later I presented myself at the surgery.
Success! The BP
was down to 160 over 90.
My GP was
cautious. “It looks promising but come
for another test next week.”
I persevered with the
“saltless” diet and reduced my bread
intake, as bread contains quite a lot of salt.
On the two succeeding visits I
registered 158 over 95 and 146 over 86.
The GP was mildly congratulatory. He said that I did
not need seem to need medication, apart from a diuretic to reduce fluid retention, but
advised that I should have regular check ups
 I have found that it is possible to adjust to
life without added salt. Lemon, pepper, vinegar and herbs are good for flavouring and I
eat more fresh fruit and vegetables. I have relaxed my regime to include a little cheese
and the occasional splodge of tomato sauce, but sadly, salt and vinegar crisps are out -
as well as Spanish olives. The diet sheet also suggests that I avoid aged cheeses,
avocados, chicken liver, chocolate, sour cream, wine and yoghurt! Of course virtually
everything in cans or packets, even ice cream and muesli, contain sodium so it is
impossible entirely to avoid it.
However when I boast how clever I have been in
reducing my blood pressure people clearly
think I am just another crank who has succumbed to the latest food fad. But a study in
the Lancet back in 1989 found that people who ate only 3-6g of salt per day had much lower
blood pressure than those who consumed 12g or more. So I intend to persevere with my
“saltless” diet which appears to improve my chances of living to a ripe old age.
Natural supplements which have been
shown to reduce blood pressure are: magnesium 300-500mg per day; vitamin C 500- 1000 per
day; garlic 600-900mg per day. The average salt intake in the UK is
about 10g per day.
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