From: Jon Dana Benson
This morning I checked my blood pressure... after eating my eggs with salsa and lentils with strong black coffee.
I have the "high blood pressure gene" (there are actually several genes that contribute to it) so it's wise for me to monitor mine.
117/76.
Now, if you know how to read systolic and diastolic measurements, you'll know that my blood pressure, or "BP" for short, is excellent.
It wasn't always so. At one point in my life, I had a BP of 200/110, which is stroke-level BP. That wasn't a single reading -- that was my BP day in and day out.
My doctor immediately suggested that I cut the salt out of my diet. Yet even at that time in my life, I knew enough about nutrition to realize this was a completely nonsensical bit of advice.
Except for those who are sodium-sensitive (and that's probably one in ten thousand people or so), sodium DOES NOT elevate BP. It's one of the biggest myths running, and it all got started when researchers with an agenda decided that the "DASH" Dietplan worked to lower BP because it was so low in sodium.
Not so fast. It's also low in...
-- calories
-- sugar, fructose in particular
-- processed foods
-- etc.
A meta-analysis, or a study of multiple studies over the course of years or decades, recently showed "no correlation between sodium restriction and heart disease or mortality rates." Numerous studies show that sodium and BP are simply not related, except in rare instances.
In fact, LOW sodium diets put people at risk for electrolyte depletion, fainting spells, and a host of other health hazards. Sodium has been, and always will be, an essential mineral for fluid balance throughout the body, especially in the brain.
It's the highly processed foods, along with the cheap FORM of sodium used in them, that's causing a lot of the problems when it comes to blood pressure issues. Sea salt in its natural state is perfectly fine, and a bit of sodium from, in my case, a few tablespoons of salsa probably won't hurt anyone. Obviously it's not hurting me.
But there is something that IS hurting you... and it happens to be the 'hidden factor' behind everything from fatgain to high BP: fructose.
I've been down on fructose for years, so it's nice to see some research coming out that helps me prove my point. Dr. Richard Johnson is probably the foremost researcher on fructose and its connection to disease. I highly recommend his book, "The Sugar Fix" if you want to know what's really going on.
Basically, dextrose and glucose are NOT the enemies... it's fructose, in the form of high fructose corn syrup (HFCS, found in just about ANY canned or bottled food these days) and, believe it or not, in fruit. The sugar in fruit is fructose.
Hey, I'd take an apple over a bagel any day, and I suggest you do the same, but Dr. Johnson's research (along with dozens of other pier-reviewed papers) really clarifies the issue with fructose.
Personally, I eat very little fruit. You just don't need it. Vegetables have lower fructose content and are far more nutritious, and the rest of my dietplan (except my off meals) is protein and fats. Fruit is reserved for a treat day. I'll also recommend apples to people who are starting off on a dietplan, as the pectin in the apple peel helps blunt the fructose reaction, and the chewing signals the brain that it's getting more than enough to eat.
Other than these exceptions, a dietplan high in fruit, for many of us, can be just as bad for you as a dietplan high in starch, or even sugar.
Fructose is the only form of sugar that, during digestion, forms a substance called uric acid. Uric acid just SO happens to elevate blood pressure -- powerfully, might I add. Uric acid, while being a fine antioxidant at low levels in the blood, leads to the formation of gout at elevated levels. Gout is an entire new realm of pain, in case you didn't know.
So, here's the takeaway:
1. Enjoy sea salt, and keep processed salt to a minimum.
2. The more unprocessed foods you consume, the less you have to worry about sodium.
3. Consume vegetables, fats, and proteins as your primary foods most days of the week. Use grains and fruit as treats, NOT as huge portions on your plate. Consume them infrequently if you want to drop bodyfat.
Enjoy your salt!
Jon Dana Benson
P.S. I do keep sodium low a few weeks before, say, a photo shoot, but most people need not worry about things like that...
P.P.S. If you like salt, or even if you just can't eat it at all, you can always use spices to flavor-up your foods. By far, the BESTrecipe book I've seen when it comes to spices that speed up fatburning (yes, there ARE spices that help you melt bodyfat) was written by my friends Karine and Dave. They call their method of cooking "Metabolic Cooking" because it ramps you your metabolism, causing more rapid fatloss.
(Personally, I add sea salt to these recipes...but you don't have to. They taste great as-is)...
Go here to read more:
>>> The Metabolic Cookbook Series (great spices/foods for fatburning)
I have the "high blood pressure gene" (there are actually several genes that contribute to it) so it's wise for me to monitor mine.
117/76.
Now, if you know how to read systolic and diastolic measurements, you'll know that my blood pressure, or "BP" for short, is excellent.
It wasn't always so. At one point in my life, I had a BP of 200/110, which is stroke-level BP. That wasn't a single reading -- that was my BP day in and day out.
My doctor immediately suggested that I cut the salt out of my diet. Yet even at that time in my life, I knew enough about nutrition to realize this was a completely nonsensical bit of advice.
Except for those who are sodium-sensitive (and that's probably one in ten thousand people or so), sodium DOES NOT elevate BP. It's one of the biggest myths running, and it all got started when researchers with an agenda decided that the "DASH" Dietplan worked to lower BP because it was so low in sodium.
Not so fast. It's also low in...
-- calories
-- sugar, fructose in particular
-- processed foods
-- etc.
A meta-analysis, or a study of multiple studies over the course of years or decades, recently showed "no correlation between sodium restriction and heart disease or mortality rates." Numerous studies show that sodium and BP are simply not related, except in rare instances.
In fact, LOW sodium diets put people at risk for electrolyte depletion, fainting spells, and a host of other health hazards. Sodium has been, and always will be, an essential mineral for fluid balance throughout the body, especially in the brain.
It's the highly processed foods, along with the cheap FORM of sodium used in them, that's causing a lot of the problems when it comes to blood pressure issues. Sea salt in its natural state is perfectly fine, and a bit of sodium from, in my case, a few tablespoons of salsa probably won't hurt anyone. Obviously it's not hurting me.
But there is something that IS hurting you... and it happens to be the 'hidden factor' behind everything from fatgain to high BP: fructose.
I've been down on fructose for years, so it's nice to see some research coming out that helps me prove my point. Dr. Richard Johnson is probably the foremost researcher on fructose and its connection to disease. I highly recommend his book, "The Sugar Fix" if you want to know what's really going on.
Basically, dextrose and glucose are NOT the enemies... it's fructose, in the form of high fructose corn syrup (HFCS, found in just about ANY canned or bottled food these days) and, believe it or not, in fruit. The sugar in fruit is fructose.
Hey, I'd take an apple over a bagel any day, and I suggest you do the same, but Dr. Johnson's research (along with dozens of other pier-reviewed papers) really clarifies the issue with fructose.
Personally, I eat very little fruit. You just don't need it. Vegetables have lower fructose content and are far more nutritious, and the rest of my dietplan (except my off meals) is protein and fats. Fruit is reserved for a treat day. I'll also recommend apples to people who are starting off on a dietplan, as the pectin in the apple peel helps blunt the fructose reaction, and the chewing signals the brain that it's getting more than enough to eat.
Other than these exceptions, a dietplan high in fruit, for many of us, can be just as bad for you as a dietplan high in starch, or even sugar.
Fructose is the only form of sugar that, during digestion, forms a substance called uric acid. Uric acid just SO happens to elevate blood pressure -- powerfully, might I add. Uric acid, while being a fine antioxidant at low levels in the blood, leads to the formation of gout at elevated levels. Gout is an entire new realm of pain, in case you didn't know.
So, here's the takeaway:
1. Enjoy sea salt, and keep processed salt to a minimum.
2. The more unprocessed foods you consume, the less you have to worry about sodium.
3. Consume vegetables, fats, and proteins as your primary foods most days of the week. Use grains and fruit as treats, NOT as huge portions on your plate. Consume them infrequently if you want to drop bodyfat.
Enjoy your salt!
Jon Dana Benson
P.S. I do keep sodium low a few weeks before, say, a photo shoot, but most people need not worry about things like that...
P.P.S. If you like salt, or even if you just can't eat it at all, you can always use spices to flavor-up your foods. By far, the BESTrecipe book I've seen when it comes to spices that speed up fatburning (yes, there ARE spices that help you melt bodyfat) was written by my friends Karine and Dave. They call their method of cooking "Metabolic Cooking" because it ramps you your metabolism, causing more rapid fatloss.
(Personally, I add sea salt to these recipes...but you don't have to. They taste great as-is)...
Go here to read more:
>>> The Metabolic Cookbook Series (great spices/foods for fatburning)
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