Mediterranean Diet

Since high blood pressure is, for the majority of those who suffer from it, self created, following this simple plan can reverse the factors that created it.

The DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) eating plan has been researched and proven to lower blood pressure in only 14 days. Those who will experience the best results are people whose blood pressure was only moderately high, including those with prehypertension(1). For those of you with more severe hypertension and may not be able to eliminate medication, the DASH diet can help to improve your response to medication, and at the same time it will help lower blood pressure. The DASH diet can also aid in lowering cholesterol levels, raise HDL’s and if with a little exercise added in, weight reduction will be seen allow with a reduction in insulin resistance.

Most of you reading this will easily admit that this seems like a very healthy way of eating, but initially when implemented may find it hard to sustain. The truth is that the average American only eats 2 – 3 servings of fruits and vegetables combined each day, so following the DASH diet may involve making a determined effort.

The best part of eating this way is that you will be reducing your chances of developing degenerative diseases, cancers or autoimmune diseases. Also this is a preventive diet against weight gain, obesity and diabetes.

Some helpful tips for lowering your blood pressure and following the DASH diet

1. Eating fewer processed foods, such as snack items, luncheon meats, and canned soups, will reduce the amount of sodium in your diet and help you lower your blood pressure.
2. A diet high in calcium, potassium, and magnesium (fruits and vegetables are excellent sources of this nutrients) may lower your blood pressure.
3. A diet high in sodium may cause high blood pressure.
4. DASH recommends that you eat 8 to 10 servings of fruits and vegetables and 3 servings of low-fat dairy products each day.
5. Eating a diet low in both saturated fat and total fat will also help lower your blood pressure. Only 30% (I recommend using olive oil as your fat source) of your total calories should be from fat, with only 7% to 10% of
   your fat calories from saturated fat. Saturated fat is found in meats, cheeses, butter, poultry, snack foods, and other processed foods.
6. In general, vegetarian (Mediterranean diet) diets reduce blood pressure. The DASH diet could easily be a vegetarian diet if legumes were substituted for meat. Vegetarian diets tend to be higher in potassium, magnesium, and calcium, as is the DASH diet. Vegetarian diets also are higher in fiber and unsaturated fat than other diets.
7. Controlling your weight, increasing your physical activity, and reducing sodium in your diet will help reduce your blood pressure even more when combined with the DASH diet. More information here: Mediterranean Diet Helps Prevent Depression.

(1). Prehypertension is considered to be blood pressure readings with a systolic pressure from 120 to 139 mm Hg or a diastolic pressure from 80 to 89 mm Hg. Readings greater than or equal to 140/90 mm Hg are considered hypertension.

Marcus Ettinger DC, BSc

My theory has developed over a 20 year period of time and holds credibility as a corollary to the long-standing law in anatomy and physiology known as – Wollf’s law.  Wolff’s law, in short, states that, “bone remodels according to the physical stress placed upon it.”  As an example: a pitcher’s, pitching arm (humerus, radius and ulna) will be denser than his non-pitching arm.  The opposite of this is, if we lived in outer-space our bones would dissolve (osteoporosis) because of the lack of gravity; no weight-bearing load on the bones.  All of the calcium supplementation, estrogen replacement (for women), and Fosimax (medication) in the world would not prevent this process from happening.

My theory takes Wollf’s law to the next level and states, “Our entire body remodels according to the stress placed upon it: invisibly, physically, emotionally and chemically.” All four of these stressors or outside influences/forces, will directly affect the remodeling of every cell, tissue and physiological function of the body.  This means that our inward and outward appearance and physiological state is in direct correlation to the (way, what and/or how) we sleep, eat, drink, act, exercise, think, deal with stress, or are exposed to stress’ or outside forces.

Physical stress makes-up the largest portion of the overall stressors we will be subjected to on a daily basis. The foods we eat and how often, our exercise level or lack of exercise, chronic postures (work, driving and sleep), chemicals, pesticides, excessive alcohol, medicines, drugs and our body’s own waste products, all influence how we remodel.

If we ingest all of the essential nutrients that our body requires, with all other factors aside, our body will remodel properly. The opposite can be said for eating devitalized food, such as fast food, boxed or canned food; as well as being exposed to drugs, medicines, alcohol, pesticides, toxins, etc… Examples: If we increase protein and weight bearing exercise, an increase in muscle mass and strength will be the result. If we increase fats and/or carbohydrates, combined with a lack of physical exercise, an increase in body fat, blood sugar, blood fats and blood pressure will be the result. This is called: diabetes, obesity, high cholesterol and hypertension. Exposure to toxins, pesticides, molds, drugs or excessive alcohol, may lead to cancer, ADHD and many other diseases.

Emotional stress placed on the body will have similar effects. If we feel or are exposed to happiness, joy or generosity, all good stress’ will facilitate a positive remodeling (ex. neurotransmitter and hormone production). If we feel or are exposed to anger, expressed or unexpressed resentment, blame or shame, all negative emotions, this will facilitate our body to remodel in a non-optimum way (increased inflammation on decreased endocrine and brain function – Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s).  The negative remodeling can lead to everything we don’t want to have our body experience, such as cancer, autoimmune disease and body degeneration. The positive remodeling will help increase the immune system and overall strength of the body, leading to a longer, healthier and more vibrant life.

Invisible forces (electromagnetic waves [radio waves, microwaves, infrared radiation, visible light, ultraviolet radiation, X-rays and gamma rays], gravity and ionizing radiation) are constantly present and can affect us as much as the overt chemical, emotional and physical forces do. The invisible forces, most of the time, actually precede and initiate the physical, emotional or chemical stress’ that causes the remodeling of our body’s cells or, more specifically, the cell membranes.

It’s easy to see from this, that everything we do or don’t do, and everything that is done to us, sometimes unknowingly, affects how our body remodels. This means how we look and how we functions.  The point I am trying to make here is that we can at least be “cause” of over a very large part of this and be responsible for what we do on a daily basis (eat, exercise, rest…) and what we allow around us. If we do not learn from this then we can go through life at “effect” like a stick floating down a river, out of control. By ignoring this theory, negative remodeling will be the outcome and all the negative consequences that come with it. The choice is ours.

©06 January 2009 Marcus Ettinger and AdvancedHealing.Com. All rights reserved (no portion of this may be re-printed or used without permission)