Daily Food Tip from World's Healthiest Foods
Are nuts and avocados okay for someone with high blood pressure?
Q. Your website is the first place where I have heard that nuts and avocadoes are OK for those who have high blood pressure. I know doctors in Canada and many other countries don't recommend nuts or avocadoes due to their high level of fats. Can you explain how your data shows the reverse? I, myself, am a person with high blood pressure who has avoided nuts and avocadoes due to the advice of a doctor.
A. First, we do not recommend that you disregard your doctor's nutritional advice. We encourage you to talk with him or her in more depth as to the reasons for avoiding all high-fat foods.
The research we've read suggests that some high-fat foods - like olive oil, for example - can be beneficial for persons with high blood pressure. In the case of olive oil, it's the polyphenols in this food that can help to relax the blood vessels through an increase in nitric oxide production. (We've provided you with the research reference and abstract below, under the primary researcher's name, "Ruano," if you'd like to see the type of research involving olive oil and hypertension.
Part of the connection between fats and blood pressure is weight. Fats contain the most calories of any nutrient, and high-fat diets are almost always high-calorie. High-calorie diets often result in excess weight gain, and obesity is a risk factor for high blood pressure. So it doesn't make sense to eat too many high-fat foods because it becomes too difficult to maintain a healthy body weight.
However, some high-fat foods contain higher quality fat than others. Walnuts and flaxseeds are examples of high-fat foods that contain a significant amount of omega-3 fat, and this type of fat is clearly helpful for most persons in supporting their cardiovascular system. Of course, it's important to make these foods part of a balanced and calorically-appropriate meal plan. We'd encourage you to talk with your doctor about the amount of foods with high-quality fats - like omega 3 fats found in walnuts and flaxseeds and the monounsaturated fats in avocadoes and olive oil- that he or she thinks would be appropriate in your current diet.
No comments:
Post a Comment