We have all witnessed the growing popularity of eating a gluten-free diet. One may quickly want to follow it too. Many celebrities, nutritionists, and friends and family speak highly of the gluten-free diet. Some go to the extent of claiming a gluten-free diet to cure almost all significant infirmities.
But are they right?
A gluten-free diet can help in weight loss, anxiety, and many problems. Then is eating a gluten-free diet and reducing hypertension also related?
Why do people talk about the relationship between eating a diet free of gluten and seeing a hypertension reduction, like the former causes the latter? And if you suffer from hypertension, should you embrace a gluten-free diet?
To understand if a gluten-free diet and reducing hypertension are related, let us know its relation.
Gluten And Hypertension
Hypertension is not a single condition on its own. When a person has hypertension, they are likely to suffer from a myriad of other problems.
For example, a person with hypertension may also suffer from frequent anxiety attacks and has an increased risk of heart diseases and stroke.
At the same time, this condition of hypertension due to the lifestyle that a person follows. It is also a result of one's diet.
- Diet plays a vital role in determining the health of an individual.
- No matter how hard one may exercise or keep themselves active, having a bad diet does not compensate for anything. Any person who suffers from gluten sensitivity or has celiac disease must be even more careful about their diet.
- A large number of studies establish the fact that our moods are related to a spectrum of gluten disorders.
- Hypertension is because of large amounts of sodium consumption.
- But apart from this heavy sodium consumption, being intolerant to gluten or having celiac sickness also is linked to suffering from hypertension.
The “Journal of Human Hypertension,” published in 2002, published a study. This study focused on how celiac patients are more prone to develop and suffer from high blood pressure or hypertension.
When one suffers from any heart disease, a particular substance increases in the body. This substance is called Homocysteine. Only when the expert's control this substance one reduces the risk of heart diseases.
But to control the Homocysteine, there needs to be an adequate amount of Vitamin B12 and Folate in the body. If you have gluten intolerance or celiac sickness, your intestines tend to be damaged, which hampers their ability to absorb the nutrients.
Does A Gluten-free Diet Help With Hypertension?
A gluten-free diet and reducing hypertension are often linked together. The next question after the relationship between a gluten-free diet and reducing hypertension is how the former helps with the latter.
- Suffering from high blood pressure can be quite a task to manage. But it is not impossible to help this condition and eliminate it from its root. To cure your high blood pressure or hypertension condition, you must understand what causes or triggers it. With discipline and some effort on your part, you can easily manage your high blood pressure by changing your lifestyle and diet.
- You may not always realize it, but due to specific food allergies, you may have hypertension. For example, you may have never had gluten sensitivity before but have recently noticed symptoms that have aggravated your hypertension. This sudden onset of symptoms might be due to the underlying gluten sensitivity caused due to the gluten consumed.
- If you follow a gluten-free diet strictly and take additional nutrients that you might miss out on by going gluten-free, your blood pressure levels will stay in check. And if you already suffer from hypertension, eating a gluten-free diet may effectively reverse it and help you lead a healthier life.
How do you go about this and embark on a journey to a healthier heart and controlled blood pressure?
We have gathered some suggestions to make changes in your lifestyle in some regions and help with your hypertension.
Lose The Extra Weight
Gluten is known to cause a lot of weight gain. If you feel very bloated or too full after a meal with bread, pizza, pasta, or anything made of wheat, rye, or barley, you can be sure that it is because of gluten.
Obesity is the cause of several heart diseases and low body functions due to the accumulated fat. That is why you must lose your extra weight so that your heart is healthier and your body is in the best shape.
You must understand that exercising alone will not work wonders independently. The majority of managing your weight comes from eating right and healthy food.
You need to ditch your unhealthy food, and all that contains gluten. Adopt a gluten-free diet after consulting your doctor and notice how quickly you can lose weight. Ultimately, you will also be able to see a positive change in your blood pressure level.
Metabolic Syndrome
Your metabolism may differ according to your body type, gender, and age. But having metabolic syndrome may be a cause for concern. It majorly affects males above 40 but can happen to anyone.
If you have metabolic syndrome, you probably suffer from obesity, hypertension, or diabetes and find it very difficult to lose weight.
In this case, you mustn't give up, but continue working hard for your body and health. Making dietary changes by giving up gluten-containing foods will help you a great deal. By cutting out the gluten, you save your stomach from bloating and accumulating even more fat and the damage gluten can do to your intestines.
Discontinue The Use Of Caffeine And Alcohol
As much as you love those steaming cups of coffee or consuming alcohol, you need to stop immediately.
Caffeine and alcohol can be quite addictive, and they wreak havoc on your health. The caffeine in coffee or tea activates your nerves and releases adrenaline in them. It is why it is one of the reasons that cause hypertension or trigger it further.
In addition to strictly following the gluten-free diet, you should also give up these beverages and see a considerable change in your hypertension condition. Water is known to be the best drink to consume.
Be sure to drink your daily intake of water, and your bodily functions will improve in no time.
Elimination Diet
Most health conditions are caused by food allergies. But people do not instantly recognize those they are allergic to and continue to consume that food. They are driving their health condition to be even more affected.
It is eating a gluten-free diet is your best bet. Eliminate from your diet all the food items that contain gluten.
You must be careful about buying the right ingredients for your food. Do not forget to thoroughly check the labels of all the food items that you buy. One may not think about it, but you need to check the labels of even the spices and littlest of things you would be cooking with your food.
Gluten can creep into your body from any source. Always keep a check on the cosmetics that you use too.
Some cosmetics use gluten-containing ingredients as binding agents. On using such cosmetics, the gluten will enter your body through your skin and nullify the gluten-free diet's sound effects.
Balanced Diet
While you are on a gluten-free diet, you may tend to miss out on a lot of nutrients that gluten-containing food would otherwise have given you. You need to ensure that all the gluten-free foods you consume are adequate for your body's daily requirements.
Ensure that you keep your diet high in dietary fiber, low in sugar, and low fat. Opt for gluten-free food that has high contents of fiber so that your digestion and blood circulation improves.
This way, your hypertension will be kept in check. And as for low sugar and low fat, opt for gluten-free food with low amounts of these so that the diet is useful and you do not put on weight.
Putting on weight can give rise to other health conditions and also trigger hypertension even more.
Consume Supplementary Nutrients
Getting all the necessary supplements and nutrition that the gluten-free diet may not deliver is pertinent. There have been testimonials of people with high blood pressure who had seen a positive decline in their condition when they corrected their nutritional deficiencies.
So how can you correct your nutritional deficiencies by taking supplements? Here are some ways:
-Raise your Vitamin A, C, D, and magnesium levels by taking vitamin powder supplements.
-500-1000 mg of calcium daily, taken with a meal, and the rest before bedtime at night.
-Maintain your potassium levels. Eat a banana and a tomato every day, and you would not need to take any extra supplements for potassium. Banana and tomato work wonders in maintaining your potassium levels, which thus keep your hypertension in check.
-If you suffer from both hypertension and cholesterol, you will likely suffer from Coenzyme Q10 deficiency. This deficiency may happen because of the medicines to lower cholesterol. Consume around 200 mg of Coenzyme Q10 every day and witness how effective it controls your hypertension.
– Dark chocolate. It can be the most delicious medicine to have! The use of dark chocolate is quite underrated. Although it lowers your blood pressure by a concise range, it is highly beneficial for health. Consuming dark chocolate eliminates and flushes out toxins from your body, as dark chocolate is rich in antioxidant properties.
Keep Calm
Well, you may be tired of listening to anyone who says you need to calm down. But that is what you need to do when you know you suffer from hypertension.
If your nerves hyper-activate under a situation of pressure or anxiety, or anger, you must practice staying as calm as possible. It's better if you did not allow too much tension to build up inside your mind. You need to keep releasing all that built-up tension and stress and keep your mind and body as calm and free as possible.
Your gluten-free diet will only effectively control your hypertension if you simultaneously take care of your mind.
Final Words
Eating a gluten-free diet and reducing hypertension are undoubtedly related, and the former helps control the latter. While exercising is extremely important, you must not solely depend on it to lower your blood pressure levels. Your diet is vital too, and you must focus on that to maintain a healthy lifestyle.
Keep your diet strictly gluten-free and low in carbohydrates and fat. This way, you will lose all the extra weight and get your body into shape. With reduced body weight and fat content in the body, the risks of developing heart diseases or triggering hypertension reduce drastically.
Please remember that everybody type is different. So, don't be too hard on yourself. Listen to the requirements of your body and treat it accordingly. If you don't have a gluten intolerance or have celiac disease and still want to go gluten-free, you must do so only after consulting with your doctor.
And remember, hypertension is something very curable and in your control. Relax your mind and body well, and make the necessary changes in your lifestyle for optimal health and results.
She is passionate about helping others understand their body.
The key to figuring out why you feel the way you feel is to take a more significant look at what is going on inside you & even around you, and then ask questions!
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