High blood pressure, Elevated Cholesterol or Glucose/”sugar” levels (Lifestyle related conditions)
The above issues are closely linked to a person’s lifestyle.
Many factors exist which can influence a person’s health but, when it comes to blood pressure, cholesterol and “sugar” levels, lifestyle changes are some of the most beneficial methods to improve & reverse conditions relating to these measurements. Doing so is not easy, but the changes are often simple and easy to understand at least.
A person’s lifestyle includes aspects like physical activity, mental health/stress levels, rest, social activity and adjustments to a person’s diet (even timing of meals plays a role, let alone looking at specific foods).
An important concept to understand is that the tests we use to measure your cholesterol and sugar-levels are measuring the amount of these products in the blood stream.
Before these get to your blood stream they must usually be digested from foods (though some comes from storage sites in the body); carbohydrates are digested into simple sugars, fat in foods becomes lipids/fatty acids and cholesterol in the bloodstream, proteins in foods become amino acids.
Fatty acids are combined with some amino acids to form cholesterol and this is how your body transports the fats through your bloodstream.
Cholesterol is necessary for our health but too much can cause issues, not necessarily because of the cholesterol but because elevated levels (beyond regular limits) can be associated with stiffening of the blood vessels, clot formation, heart disease and other health issues.
Medication can help but often modifies the body to adjust these measurements and does not eliminate the reversible causes that led to the lifestyle diseases in the first place.
Blood pressure, specifically, is also closely linked to sodium (salt) intake and hydration levels. Ensuring we use less salt in our cooking and avoiding foods naturally high in sodium can help manage and reduce high blood pressure.
Certain foods even help with lowering blood pressure, like dark green leafy vegetables. Take a look at “nitrate” content in certain foods (especially rocket / arugula or beetroot) & do some research on foods that can help to lower your pressure.
Being dehydrated is also bad for our health in general and can have an influence on blood pressure, glucose levels and overall energy levels. Diabetics or people with high blood pressure can need more fluid than most.
It can be useful to consult a dietitian (as professional guidance on diet can help in making more educated choices) and doing your own research into dietary modification helps too (it’s important to choose healthy foods that are also suitable to your lifestyle and digestive system (ie. avoid foods that cause allergic reactions or other side-effects).
A good first step is often to evaluate your total calorie intake (especially calorie dense foods, saturated and trans-fats; ie. from eggs, dairy, cooking oils / processed oils, fatty meat and oily fish, nuts & seeds) as managing this can aid in reducing average glucose levels and in losing excess weight if that is necessary.
Fiber content of foods also helps to improve overall gut health, reduce glucose levels, reduce cholesterol and support healthy gut flora (wholegrains, lentils, beans, green leafy veg, nuts and seeds are high in fiber).
All fiber is not “equal” however, fibre from whole-foods (ie. leafy greens, wholegrains and other plant foods) tend to provide more benefit than processed fibre. This is partly also due to the fact that antioxidant content is higher in whole foods than in processed foods.
Foods that are high in fiber have even been shown to blunt the post-meal sugar-level spike that occurs after eating (lentils and legumes for example are known for this “second meal effect”) & reduce cholesterol levels, yet another benefit of sufficient fibre content & healthy food choices.
Excessive intake of calories (specifically from carbohydrates and certain processed foods) can lead to more elevated sugar levels in the blood which can cause a host of other issues in the long term. Being aware of which foods cause this & reducing intake thereof is important (eg. processed / artificially sweetened foods or simple carbohydrates).
Taking probiotics can also help with gut health especially if/when using antibiotics. Healthy gut bacteria support our health in many ways; from stimulating / regulating immune function to aiding in digestion and production of essential nutrients. Research has even linked the variety of gut flora (or lack thereof) to certain diseases both physical and psychological. Links have been made to the effect of gut flora on a person’s mood and diseases like diabetes (greater variety of gut flora is linked to positive health outcomes).
Even with family history and genetic factors (which are important but cannot be changed anyway), cholesterol, blood pressure and insulin resistance can be improved and managed with lifestyle and dietary choices. This is because elevated cholesterol / sugar / blood pressure levels are directly linked to diet and exercise levels (among other things; but these are the main factors we can influence positively).
Therefore reducing intake of “unhealthy” foods (high calorie density, relatively low nutrient density, processed foods) & increasing intake of “healthy” foods (whole foods, unprocessed, high nutrient and vitamin density, higher fiber content, relatively lower calorie density) along with other lifestyle changes like exercise will improve overall health.
Regular exercise is an important tool (especially cardiovascular exercise, though resistance/weight training is useful for many reasons too). It helps to improve calorie balance (energy intake versus expenditure), aid in weight loss and reduce levels of excess nutrients in the body by using them up to either perform or recover from the activity.
Exercise (especially “resistance training”) can also build muscle which aids in overall longevity and helps us maintain a higher “metabolic rate” (using up the energy from our food faster and more productively).
When it comes to managing blood pressure, cardiovascular exercise aids the body in regulating pressure in your arteries and reducing your resting heart rate which improves overall heart and blood-vessel health. Exercise has also been proven to aid in improving Insulin Sensitivity in people with (or at risk for) Type 2 Diabetes.
Alcohol intake is also important to mention when it comes to maintaining one’s health. Generally less (or none) is better, however guidelines are in place to help those who drink figure out how much is too much. These are guidelines however and need to be adjusted to personal context.
One recommendation regarding alcohol intake advises people not to drink more than 14 “units” of alcohol a week. 14 “units” is equivalent to 6 pints of average-strength beer or 10 small glasses of lower-strength wine. You can work out how many units are in a drink by multiplying its volume (in ml) by its alcohol percentage and dividing by 1,000.
Making changes to our lifestyle is difficult as our bodies tend to have metabolic / biological “set-points” they reach after some time living a certain lifestyle; this makes changing one’s lifestyle difficult and why it is important to make gradual, sustainable changes over time towards an overall healthier goal rather than short-lived drastic changes to chase results or “chase the numbers.”
It is also important to be careful when following advice regarding diet and lifestyle as there are many interventions which produce good short-term results but are not sustainable in the long term. Certain “fad-diets” and other “health-hacks” or similar things are popular because they seem to work for some time but are often not supported by good research or medical evidence in the long term.
Remember to keep doing your own research (from reliable sources) and to experiment with what “works” for yourself. Do not hesitate to report to a professional if you experience any adverse reactions to what you’ve tried.
What works for others does not always work for an individual and vice versa so no matter what general information you find, it is important to tailor it to your individual needs and context.
Take care of yourself! Don’t ever give up on your health and never believe that a healthy, less medicine-dependent life is out of your reach.
