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From the desk of Dr Nandita Shah...
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Hypertension is one of the most common diseases in the modern world today, with majority of people not even aware that they have it. Did you know that an estimated 1.5 billion adults worldwide will have hypertension by 2025?
High blood pressure is so common that it’s considered a natural result of ageing. The chances are that each and every one of us either has high blood pressure or knows someone who does. If it’s lowered with the help of medicines, many patients believe they don’t have a problem. They think their blood pressure is in control.
Blood pressure is the amount of pressure that the heart has to exert to push the blood through the blood vessels to all the different parts of the body. If the blood pressure is higher than normal, it means the heart has to exert more pressure and that is because the arteries have narrowed or are blocked. This can happen at any age, and these days it’s not rare to see people in their 20s with high blood pressure. This means that the heart is under stress from a very young age.
High blood pressure alone is bad enough but because every single part of the body requires a constant blood supply, hypertension can result in a variety of diseases: erectile dysfunction and joint pains to heart attacks, strokes, chronic kidney disease, dementia and more.
The diagnosis of hypertension can be made by just checking the blood pressure. Good, inexpensive instruments to check your BP are available for home use. A reading of over 140/90 on two consecutive days is termed high blood pressure. Don’t miss getting checked, and if you find that you have it, remember that in most cases it can be reversed just by dietary and lifestyle changes. Please don’t delay looking after this important health concern.
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Highlights
We have a unique hybrid retreat coming up this December – The Fruitful Harmony Retreat, where you will be doing 3 sessions on zoom and 3 residential sessions on a beautiful farm near Mumbai. This retreat will ensure a full body & mind cleanse so you are fresh as ever to start 2025! Click here for details.
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I healed my 30 year old Hypertension & Migraine
Delhi based Anju Kalhan, who is 59 years old, shares how she overcame her health issues, which even affected her pregnancies, simply by changing her diet.
Masala Chai (Tea)
Love chai? It seems tough to give it up? Well try this interesting recipe with a home-made chai patti (tea powder). This one is both healthy and tasty!
Ingredients
For the Masala
- 4 green cardamoms
- 1½” stick cinnamon
- 6-8 black peppercorns (kali mirch)
- 4-5 cloves
- ½ star anise
For the Tea
- 1½ cups water
- ¾ cup soy milk
- 6-8 tbsp date paste
- 1” pc unpeeled ginger, crushed
- 2 tbsp fresh mint leaves (pudina)
- 1-2 blades lemongrass
Method
For the Masala
Grind all ingredients together to a coarse powder.
For the Tea
Mix water, soy milk and chai masala in a pan and boil for 3-4 minutes. Add date paste and ginger and boil for a minute. Add mint leaves and lemongrass, cover and boil for 5 minutes. Strain, pour into cups and serve.
Serves 2
Food For The Mind
FACEBOOK SUPPORT GROUP
If you love Facebook, then join us to be supported on your plant-based journey. We offer 2 possibilities.
1. SHARAN India is SHARAN’s main Facebook page which you can like and follow for getting useful daily updates and news from the plant based health world. You will also get news about the latest SHARAN events, see testimonials, and more.
2. SHARAN’s Vegan Support Group is an open support group to know more about vegan/plant-based lifestyle. Here you can ask questions and share inspiring stories, tips, recipes, etc.
All our doctors and presenters will be here to answer your questions and give you tips. If you have attended our events join this group to be a part of our family.
Please like the main SHARAN page and join the group(s) applicable to you.
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Hypertension
Our body is constantly responding to external factors, so as to maintain the equilibrium of health, without us even being aware. The body has an amazing self-healing mechanism that works only if we get out of the way and allow it to do so. Most people, when they are diagnosed with high blood pressure, take medicines for it and get on with their regular life. Over a period of time, medicines and their dosages spiral upwards and eventually they end up with complications of hypertension and side effects of medicines!
Here is what you can do to prevent or reverse hypertension.
1. Avoid all fat
Fat goes into the blood stream, thickening the blood and also narrowing arteries. Therefore, we must reduce the consumption of fats that have no fibre – oil, ghee, butter. Also, animal products including meat, dairy and eggs since they too are full of fat.
2. Avoid high cholesterol foods
Only animals produce cholesterol. There is no cholesterol in coconuts and cashews or any other plant foods. We are animals and we produce all the cholesterol that we need, naturally. The excess cholesterol comes from animal products in our diet.
3. Increase fibre
Fibre holds onto fat and prevents it from going into the bloodstream. Fibre, therefore, keeps the blood thin and flowing. Only plants have fibre, but refined plant foods are stripped of fibre. Avoid all refined foods, and peeling of fruits and vegetables whenever possible.
4. Overcome addictions
Avoid tea, coffee, colas, alcohol and smoking. All of these raise the blood pressure. Even green tea with its lower levels of caffeine is not good for health. Green smoothies are an excellent way of overcoming addictions.
5. Avoid excess salt
Most packaged foods and ready-made products are full of salt. Avoid consuming them.
6. Reduce stress
Get out of the rat race. If that is not possible be aware that when we are stressed, we produce adrenaline and other stress hormones. Similarly, when animals are stressed they too produce stress hormones. When we consume animal products or their secretions, we are taking in these stress hormones. This is another reason that plant-based diets are best for hypertension.
7. Get some exercise
Being overweight can lead to high blood pressure. Make sure that you get your daily dose of exercise.
8. Get enough rest
Lack of sleep can raise the blood pressure. It’s best to go to bed latest by 10 PM and wake up without an alarm. The earlier we go to bed the more restful the sleep is likely to be.
9. Avoid overstimulation
Mobile phones, computer games, late-night shows all keep our brains stimulated and stressed.
Lack of vitamin B12
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All Events
Most of our events are online now, so you can join us from anywhere in the world. Click to know more...
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| What is SHARAN? |
Sanctuary for Health and Reconnection to Animals
and Nature (SHARAN) is a social enterprise with
the goal of spreading awareness about holistic
health and an ecologically sustainable
compassionate lifestyle.
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| Compiled & Edited by: |
This newsletter is compiled by SHARAN Head of
Mumbai, Reyna K Rupani, edited by Seema Nayak.
May 2023 | Issue: 192
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