Got high blood pressure? Research published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine found that the humble wall squat is the best move to get it in check. The study analyzed data from 270 randomized controlled trials involving 15,827 participants to compare the blood pressure-reducing effects of five different types of exercise: isometric, aerobic, strength […]
I didn’t expect to improve my health at age 80, but that’s what happened. It started in 2018, when my daughter became convinced that she should follow a whole-food, plant-based (WFPB) diet. Since we live and eat together, I agreed, reluctantly, that when it was my turn to cook, I would try to make those […]
Sodium is essential: It helps conduct nerve impulses, control muscles, and regulate fluid levels. But when we eat too much of it—as 90 percent of Americans do—our bodies hold onto excess water to balance things out. That extra water increases blood volume, causing high blood pressure, which gradually damages the delicate tissue lining the arteries. […]
Last year, my husband and I reached a turning point in our health. After several years of gradual weight gain, our BMIs had crossed over into the obese range. I was experiencing heart palpitations that were benign in nature but were still worrisome. In addition, I was borderline hypertensive, with my blood pressure routinely reaching […]
Around 10 years ago I was diagnosed with high blood pressure and high cholesterol. I knew in the back of my mind that changing my diet might help, but I was a vegetarian who loved eating dairy, especially cheese, and I had no real interest in actually making a change. My doctor prescribed me medications […]
Since the early weeks of the pandemic, we’ve known that cardiovascular disease increases the risk of getting severely ill and dying from COVID-19. Now there’s a growing body of evidence that the virus may cause lasting cardiovascular issues, even in people who previously had none. At the 2020 Plant-Based Nutrition Healthcare Conference, Kim A. Williams, […]
I struggled with being overweight my entire adult life. It took chest pains in my mid-40s, spending time in cardiac rehab, being put on high blood pressure medication, and being labeled as prediabetic to finally get my attention. I started watching my caloric intake and walking a lot. I lost some weight, but I plateaued […]
For many years of my life I was “Mr. BBQ”: I never missed an opportunity to get the grill fired up. For breakfast, I was a bacon-and-eggs guy. Then about 18 months ago, after routine blood work, I was told my kidney function was poor. I was already on four blood pressure medications; I also […]
Yvonne McGill had type 1 diabetes and a host of other health issues, including hypertension, hypothyroidism, and rheumatoid arthritis. Going plant-based enabled her to use less insulin to manage her diabetes and get off blood pressure pills and statins completely. Plant-based eating was not a part of my family’s traditional culture. Growing up Dominican, all […]
Lauren Melton looked healthy, but her blood pressure told a different story. She shares what adopting a plant-based diet did for her hypertension. Four years ago I was diagnosed with unexplained extremely high blood pressure. This news was quite shocking and unbelievable to me, as I had none of the typical contributing factors you expect […]
Editor’s note: This story was originally published in 2019. Scroll to the end for an inspiring 2025 update from Brittany on how her health and life have continued to improve. You can also read about the birth of her first child here. Brittany Jaroudi was struggling with high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and obesity at […]
Hashimoto’s disease had rendered life miserable for Rick Avrett. His wife, Rebecca, shares their journey toward better health on a whole-food, plant-based diet. My husband, Rick, had been taking a statin for over 10 years for high cholesterol and high blood pressure. His parents had serious heart disease, which he inherited. Because of this and […]
