I think being Fruitarian might help me with my high blood pressure

[SekhemNefer]

I drink green smoothies with more fruit than greens anyways, but drink them on occassion. Since the accidental bloating of my feet and legs this past weekend, my blood pressure is quite high going from pre-hypertension to stage 1 hypertension.

I have read some sites on how to lower one's blood pressure and it says to have an intake of no more than 1,500 mg of sodium a day. Even though my sea salt has less sodium than table salt, my sea salt is like 1/4 teaspoon is 560 mgs. That means a half of a tea spoon is about 1,500 mg a day! 1/4 teaspoon is nothing. I probably use that much to season a whole tomato in a day. Not even including other veggies when I eat a huge salad.

And don't tell me to use Mrs. Dash, I grew up on that stuff. Not even tasty.

I know there are many factors to my high blood pressure: mid-30s, obese, not eating enough high potassium fruit/vegetables, and loads up on the salt. Just starting to become physically active.

However, I really need to ween my taste buds from salt. When I think of vegetables, I think...I need to flavor this with salt. And yeah, I use lemon or lime juice too, but that alone does not satisfy my taste as salt does.

However, if I focus on being fruitarian, I probably would worry less about consuming salt. Yes, I know many veggies are really fruits. But I don't eat those non-sweet fruits as much as other vegetables with the exception of lots of tomatos and the occasional avocado.

I know I can still add green leafies into my fruit smoothies, so I would be adding tons of salt in my huge plate of green leafy salads.


Hopefully, being fruitarian will increase my potassium intake and lower my desire to add salt. Then maybe over time I will find salt repulsive when I go back to eating vegetables again.

[iluvmangos]

I'm sure being fruitarian will help you with your blood pressure, but I'm sure just eating raw will, too. If you prefer fruits, that's cool, but don't be afraid to eat your veggies if you want them.

I've never been diagnosed with high blood pressure, but I used to check my blood pressure at Wal-Mart since they have that seat there you can sit in and put your arm in the cuff and check your blood pressure. I don't remember what my numbers were, but whenever I checked it, it was always in the pre-hypertension range before I started trying to lose weight.

When I first started trying to lose weight, I wasn't even raw. I just counted calories and walked a lot. After 2-3 weeks of doing that, I checked my blood pressure again and it was within the normal range. I didn't pay attention to how much salt I ate. I just ate less and got some exercise.

I still don't pay attention to how much salt I eat. If I want it, I eat it, but I don't use regular table salt. I use RealSalt. I don't believe that sea salt promotes water retention and high blood pressure like regular table salt. That hasn't been my experience anyway. Regular table salt does make me retain water, but not RealSalt.

[Veronica01]

Staying away from salt will really help your body balance and thrive. There's more than enough sodium in celery, tomatoes and leafy greens for optimum health. We're the only creatures who load up on salt to flavour our foods. The longer you're raw the more you're appreciate flavours in their whole, full, unadultered taste.

[tylerdurden]

I think being a fruitarian is the wrong route. You should focus on leafy greens more than fruit. The only way to reduce your craving for salt is to reduce your intake not substitute sweet flavors and hope your salt cravings go away. Something you could try is juicing celery as it has a salty flavor and use that to give a salt like flavor to certain vegetables. You might have to get creative.

Have you tried doing the master cleanse? I think it will help you out tremendously. It might be a little rough but I feel like it resets my body. It’s your heart and your health so you just have to decide on what you’re willing to do and not do for yourself.

A book you might be interested in reading is called Stop Inflammation Now! By Dr. Richard Fleming. I think the Boutenko’s in their book Green For Life speak about how they didn’t like vegetables but realized they didn’t feel healthy eating solely fruit. You might want to check out their books or website, rawfamily.com to get some ideas on how to enjoy your vegetables.

Good luck!

[RawKnitster]

I had the same problems, chronically swollen feet/ankles and moderate hypertension. Both problems have been solved by going on a raw diet rich in greens, nuts, seeds, and fruits. Lots of raw recipes with salt, too. My blood pressure is currently 105/68. The only time I take precautions to avoid swelling ankles is if the temp goes over 85 and stays there, or if I have to sit all day.

If a fruitarian diet is what you think will keep you raw, then do it. If you need a diet more like the one suggested in Alssa's book then do that. It should be all about what you need to do to stop eating the cooked foods that cause the problems in the first place.

:)

[Aleesha Sattva]

i was so sick when i discovered raw and i was able to heal all of it by eating eating eating... lots of raw live foods!!!

being fruitarian isn't the answer, IMO - removing the salt from your home and dealing with it would be. cause honestly, if we can quit smoking, quit eating our favourite cooked foods... then can't we use the same "won't power" to let go of salt?

[Veronica01]

I think it's important to note the difference in people's terms of fruitarian.

Just because some people say they are fruitarian or eat mostly fruit does not mean they shun veggies, or greens.

I don't think many of us would agree that shunning greens especially and ONLY eating fruit would be the answer to true health. I haven't lived that way so I can't really say from experience, which is what i typically gauge my beliefs on, experience, experimenting and results.

I think you will be fine on HIGH amounts of fruit with a wide variety of greens, and some veggies if you choose as well. There's no law that says you can eat mostly fruit but you have to stay away from greens. :)

BTW the more fruit I eat the less cravings i have for salt, nuts and cooked foods. When your blood sugar is low or you haven't had enough calories in a day your body will trigger cravings for stimulants and calorie dense foods. You will be able to kick salt by upping your intake on green smoothies and whole ripe fruits.