If you have been following my posts the past few weeks, you will be aware of the fact that I had some bad news at the doctor which required immediate changes in my life. This is another installment of my progress.
Blood Pressure Monitoring
My new blood pressure monitor came yesterday. I bought an Omron Series 5. There were two main reasons I bought this one... Firstly, the brand repeatedly came up as one of the more reliable brands when I researched. Secondly, this particular model stores data for two users (good for when my husband decides to start doing this again for himself...) without all the unnecessary bells and whistles of the more expensive models. Furthermore, this particular eBayer had both cuffs - so I can, in theory, use it on my kids if I need/want to. It should also fit my husband's arm as well as my own... so it really should do everything. I still need to pick up a power adapter for it, but that can be done later when I feel we can afford it.
Once I got the machine set up and figured out what I was doing - and then calmed down, I began recording my blood pressure.
I figure that first thing in the morning is probably the most accurate, so this morning, it was 142/100 on my left arm and 143/94 on my right. According to Chris Kresser, this makes me "Stage 1 Hypertensive" - or "mild." No panic being caused, just a "hey, you still need to fix this." (I sure wish I could afford to hire him as my doctor!)
Still, I was a bit disappointed with this result - as it's higher than it was last week at the doctor. So, what went wrong?
When I thought about it, I have been fairly tired for about half the week and started wondering what I encountered to cause it. Of course, there are fatigue triggers that will never be completely eliminated - such as crowds and bad lighting in certain supermarkets.
But, as I thought about it (and this is why food diaries are good for anyone trying to work out their triggers), I realized something important...
Wheat is an Issue for me...
I remember wondering about this when I was grain-free a few years ago (before I had bad things happening in my life which prevented me continuing this) - I let myself have a "diet holiday" for my daughter's birthday party - and felt terrible for several days.
So, I thought about it again...
Yeah... between the "break" of letting myself have French Toast one morning - plus the flour in the gravy for Salisbury Steak the other night. So, no more cheating.
Gluten?
Actually, in my personal reading, I have learned a few things... People who have troubles with wheat in the US...
- Are typically fine in South America...
- Are typically fine with a more ancient variety of wheat such as spelt.
My theory is that pesticides are one of the greater causes for "gluten intolerance" in the USA. But I think it goes beyond that - and clearly, there are people who simply can't tolerate gluten.
Personally, I have a grass pollen allergy that was diagnosed as a child. (It resulted in 6 years of weekly allergy injections - which is likely to be one of the reasons I'm so unhealthy now...) I have to wonder whether many of us who do not tolerate wheat well are actually having a cross-allergic reaction to grasses in general. (I seem to be fine with rice.)
So, could this be contributing to my hypertension - the same as it's contributing to my fatigue?
Dr. Steve Nenninger supposes that yes, hidden/untreated food allergies could definitely cause hypertension!
More from Chris Kresser...
If you are suffering from hypertension, there are some things in this article you might want to try...
I love the paleo/primal movement - because there are a number of science-oriented people at the forefront. Okay, so potatoes don't normally qualify as paleo - yet, the science indicates that this may be one of the silver bullets I need. A single medium potato has a quarter of my daily need of potassium. (If you're worried about blood sugar, let it cool and reheat it later for the more resistant starch that doesn't mess with insulin and blood sugar so much.) This is one case where sweet potatoes don't win!
Salt!
This is another of those things which is maligned for little reason. Apparently, the science supporting salt causing hypertension is sketchy at best. BUT... I am beginning to wonder if the issue isn't salt at all, but what is done to it in most manufacturing plants to add it to our junk food... Chris mentions some of the anti-caking agents added to table salt, and I have to wonder if that's a huge part of the problem... Just like how sugarcane and even sugar beets are not the problem, but the way it's processed and then over-applied to everything is. We have salt buds on our tongue - we need it! But only the good stuff.
Chis also mentions fermented dairy, green tea, other teas such as hibiscus and hawthorn, beets and even bacon! (The nitrites actually help dilate your blood vessels which can help reduce blood pressure!)
Steps Forward
- Eliminate grass grains from my diet completely (and find paleo/primal substitutes for those things I really want...)
- Eliminate salt that's not super natural - even "sea salt" when it's over-processed is probably not going to be helping me at all.
- Add a K2 supplement to my diet and increase my fermented dairy (need to purchase a new viili start as well as a new batch of buttermilk as my current culture is quite weak.)
- Increase my intake of potatoes - I had two hashbrowns this morning instead of one and made sure I have some for tomorrow morning as well.
- Try (again) to fall in love with beets... (I may have to be careful - when my mother started juicing beets, she found out that she's quite allergic to them! But then, she would have had them raw too.)
- Make kombucha again. I found a couple of gallon-sized jars at our local thrift store for the project. Our household recipe includes the use of hibiscus on the first ferment (I don't bother with a second ferment) - I'm thinking I can probably utilize hawthorn berries and green tea in this to further battle my hypertension.
- Exercise. Yes, this one has been in there... but waiting. I am trying to get out more frequently, even if it is just to check out a new (to me) store in town... and get a little extra walking in. Once my husband's first pay check arrives, I plan to get a membership at the YMCA and take up Zumba again and maybe some aquaerobics.
At the beginning of this journey...
(Image taken by my brother Chris, at the Clatsop County Fair in Oregon - August 2019.)
Health Stats
| Date | Weight | BMI | Blood Pressure | Pulse |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 10, 2019 | 251.38 lbs | 47.67 | 167/101 (retaken 1/2 hour later) 158/94 | 81 |
| Sep 24, 2019 | 253.0 lbs | 47.98 | 137/95 | 100 |
Beginning Health Stats on Sep 10, 2019.
Weight: 251.38 lbs
BMI: 47.67
Blood Pressure: 167/101 - retaken half an hour later 158/94
Pulse rate: 81
Very unhealthy!
Record of my journey...
WAY Too Unhealthy - Time to Change - September 11, 2019
Of Medication and Fatigue - September 18, 2019
Tra La La - Back to the Doctor - September 24, 2019
Crossposted at Steem, Whaleshares, WeKu, Hyperspace.
Lori Svensen
author/designer at A'mara Books
photographer/graphic artist for Viking Visual
verified author on Goodreads
find me on Twitter
blogging on: Steem, Whaleshares, WeKu, Hyperspace
Join us in the Official Whaleshares server in the text channel "the-phoenix-project"
This post has received a 3.13 % upvote from @drotto thanks to: @sbi-booster.
Do take lotsa care. I'm impressed by your commitment to keep track of your journey. I'm inspired to be more conscious of my health now. ^_^
Thank you for stopping by.
I am glad you feel inspired - that's the real purpose of sharing - besides simply keeping me accountable. It's a difficult journey to make alone, and when I share it with you, it's no longer lonely. It is also my hope that when my husband sees me taking these positive actions - and they work - that he will decide to take more positive actions himself.
I am already doing more exercise - just going to the stores, and things... and the off days, I'm getting out to walk with my daughter - just around the block for now.. but it will get better again. I used to walk quite a lot.
I don't remember if I had noticeable wheat issues when I lived in the UK - but then, if there's a cross-allergy thing going on as well, I wouldn't even notice... Thus far, wheat isn't a GMO - it's been trialed, but that's as far as it's been so far... I'm more worried about the pesticides being used on wheat in the US - probably the larger factor at the moment.
Again, organic is seldom an option for me. I did luck into a few bags of organic potatoes at the food bank the other day, so I'm using those right now. If I see the option and it's affordable, I will do it.
I actually blend some Himalayan salt, "real salt" and sun-evaporated salt together. Reading what Chris Kresser said about what they're doing with table salt is frightening. Gee, can we find any more ways of raising your blood pressure?!
Maybe try the top video - warm up - before and after your walks. Before I got a fitness trainer to really help lose weight, I was up to 1.5 hours of walking 5-6 times a week and it did nothing but kill my hips and knees. He got me to stretch 15 minutes before and after, and walk 20-30 minutes. BOOM - I felt so much better and the weight started coming off.
But that was also when I went organic too. The pesticides, colors, flavors, gmos and other additives are really bad for your system. My food became much cheaper. You really have to make an effort at it,but you can find cheap organic food. Check the sale bins. It is often there at a good price.
Yes, the regular salt is horrible. The "iodine" is industrial waste that would have to go through EPA hoops if they did not sell it for food.
I was able to eat Italian and Mexican pasta when I was in the states. I also stated baking my own bread with a bunch of different organic flours I found cheap. That was a real treat and not hard. I do not have an oven here, and sure miss my bread :)
I wish you the best. Hopefully you can regain your health.
This life is not made for us to be healthy. I spend 11 months a years sitting in front of a computer and I have been putting up some weight because of this sedentary lifestyle. Then, in 15 days of holidays, I usually lose most of that weight. It seems that working is making me fat! 😂
Yeah... and brain power doesn't burn up the fat as much as we'd hope!
However, I will just add that right now, 90% of my changes have been to diet alone, so there's a lot that can be done there.
Thanks for your kind words and for taking the time to visit.
We are so sorry!
Last night STEEMAUTO had a bug for several hours and we downvoted INSTEAD of upvoted. The bug has been fixed.
I'm going through and removing all downvotes, replacing them with the corresponding upvotes.
Thank you for understanding. ❤️
Hahaha - I did wonder. I wasn't sure who I should talk to or I would have said something quickly... When I saw a bunch of downvotes on your Steemworld, I knew something was going afoul. I'm glad you've got it sorted.
For furture reference: 😍 ALL of our posts link directly to all six of the Witness Team members accounts and both Serena (@paintingangels) and I link to our private Discords so we are easily reached with questions and concerns.
The most unfortunate thing: Timezones. We were ALL sleeping when this happened. Luckily, most people have understood. ❤️
Thank you for being patient with us!
I really hope you can tackle your problems ! .. I find it really a great idea to document all this in a constant blogging story .. I hope this gives you an extra motivation in a way .. regarding the potatoes, here in germany we maybe eat so many of them that we should reduce them ^^
We tend to eat a lot of potatoes in the USA too, but the problem is, they tend to be eaten in highly-processed forms with the addition of sugars, unhealthy fats, highly-process salts, and other additives... anything to make them more addictive and sell more product, after all!
I figured that covering my story here will inspire others - if they need it - and keep me on task at the same time, maybe even highlight some of the struggles I've had that are common to many. And with all the actifit posts out there, I figure this is a bit more real than most. ;-)
Oh, walked around two blocks today (six blocks total length of walk - probably about 1/2 a mile.)
Thanks for stopping by!
That good to hear .. I believe you can inspire the right people with this ^^ .. if you are looking for easy to make recipes from potatoes I could probably ask my wife for some really easy, healthy and deliceous ones ^^ .. I wish you the best for your future plans !!