So much information came out of these studies--information that every single American should know about--information that I believe should be in the daily news, and information that I believe every physician in this country should pass on to their patients. However, this is certainly not the case. Why? The answer to that question gets a little "sticky".
We have to remember the American public is up against Big Pharma--Pharmaceutical companies are one of the richest industries in this country. Why wouldn't they be--they have brilliant lobbyist and have billions of dollars behind them. The American people are led to believe they need a pill for every aliment they may have. And believe me, there is a pill for anything that ails you. However, taking medication is NOT the ANSWER to your medical issues.
So, what information came out of the above study? Well, the number-one risk factor for death in the world they identified is high blood pressure. High blood pressure lays waste to nearly 9 million people worldwide every year. It kills so many people because it contributes to death from a variety of causes, including aneurysms, heart attacks, heart failure, kidney failure and stroke.
Increased blood pressure puts a a strain on the heart and can damage the sensitive blood vessels in your eyes and kidneys, cause bleeding in the brain, and even lead to certain arteries to balloon and rupture. In the US, about 1 in every 3 people have hypertension.
Studies have been done proving when we eat a low sodium diet centered around whole plant foods--whole grains, beans, vegetables, fruits, and dark leafy vegetables, there is no hypertension! High blood pressure, then, appears to be a choice. You can choose to eat the Standard American Diet, (SAD), or you can choose to take off the pressure.
There have been hundreds of studies done to date that show after just one salty meal, not only does our blood pressure increase but the arteries actually begin to stiffen. People think that because they are not adding salt to their food, they aren't eating a lot of salt. Not the case! The food industry uses dirt-cheap salt and sugar in all of their foods to make it taste good and preserve it for a very long time allowing that "food" to sit on a store shelf for months.
For instance, meat--who thinks about salt in meat? Well, let me educate you--the meat industry adds salt to meat to draw in water. This way, the meat industry can increase the weight of the meat by nearly 20%--more weight, more profit. Chicken has more salt in it than a large McDonald's fries or a serving of salted pretzels! The poultry industry injects the chicken carcasses to increase their weight and can still label the chicken as "100 percent natural". Consumer Reports found that some supermarket chicken were so pumped full of salt that they registered 840 mg of sodium per serving!! No one ever thinks about salt in meat.
What foods can lower blood pressure? Studies reveal that a diet rich in whole grains give you the SAME benefits as blood pressure medication. Now, the grains have to be WHOLE grains, not REFINED grains. By whole grains I mean oats, brown rice, whole wheat, etc. Refined grains, white bread, white rice, crackers, etc., have shown to increase your risk for high blood pressure.
Other foods that help lower blood pressure are flaxseeds, hibiscus tea and nitrate-rich vegetables. Cooked and raw vegetables will help lower blood pressure, but raw veggies are slightly more protective. Loading up on beans, split peas, chickpeas and lentils also help to bring down blood pressure as well as fruits.
So, the choice is yours--deal with high blood pressure and the medication, and all the side effects that come with it, OR, push the foods off our plate that causes it, and load our plates with the foods that can PREVENT it, STOP it and REVERSE it--the only side effect by doing with a WFPB diet is WEIGHT LOSS.
The truth is, eliminating the primary risk for death may be simple: no drugs, no scalpels, just forks.