Be Careful, This Vegetable Can Cause High Blood Pressure

Do you think it’s possible to eat too many vegetables? For most vegetables, I would say no. However there is an exception – Particularly if you’re worried about developing hypertension.(High Blood Pressure) Although the U.S. government has listed potatoes as a vegetable thanks to their high potassium content. Potatoes are high in carbohydrates and high on the glycemic index, which means they can cause blood sugar to spike. And this can contribute to hypertension.

The researchers examined data from over 187,000 participants who recorded their diets for over 20 years for three large studies. The researchers were able to evaluate these records along with the participants’ reports of whether or not they were diagnosed with hypertension.They found that women in particular had an increased risk of developing hypertension if they ate baked, boiled, or mashed potatoes four or more times a week compared with those who ate them less often than once a month. Both men and women experienced an increased hypertension risk if they ate a lot of French fries.

The researchers also found that simply by replacing one serving a day of potatoes with a non-starchy vegetable could lower your hypertension risk. I think this is a wise idea. It’s always a good idea to eat a variety of vegetables, rather than sticking with the same thing all the time.

Why do potatoes cause an elevation in blood pressure in some people?

In all likelihood it’s because they are high in carbohydrates. Diets high in carbohydrates lead to weight gain and high insulin levels. And both of these can cause an elevation in blood pressure.

So if you have high blood pressure or have a family history of it, especially if you’re overweight, ask your doctor to check your insulin level. If it’s over 10 mIU/ml, it’s too high. In that case, cut back not only on potatoes, but on all the other carbohydrates – sugars, grains, fruits, and root vegetables.

All of this information is new to people who are leaning toward the medical side of health care. I have been giving a presentation to patients and outside groups for over a year now detailing these principles. There is a huge amount of benefits you can receive from changing your diet just a bit.

Yours for better health,

Dr. Jack Belitz

PS If you are interested in more information, come to one of my Perfect weight classes. Or… better yet. get a group of your friends or co-workers together and I will come and do the class for you. it takes 30 minutes and the information is life changing.

PPS Hopefully by now you know about our special after Christmas promotion of “Giving the Gift of Health”. We have had a tremendous response, in fact we were asked to extend to the end of the month – that’s what we decided to do! Anyone who calls the office to schedule their appointment by the end of the month gets them a free exam and your name goes in the drawing for the mall Gift Certificate. So call your friends today!