The breakfast that lowered my blood pressure

One small change helped lower my elevated blood pressure by 15 points

Photo by CDC on Unsplash

For as long as I can remember, I had elevated blood pressure throughout my 30s. Every time I had a check-up my systolic (top number) reading was in the 130s.

This was despite what I considered a healthy lifestyle. I ran marathons. I ate relatively healthy. I had a busy lifestyle with work and family, but not what I considered high stress. As someone who wrote about craft beer, I did indulge in higher ABV beers, but I also gave up beer from time to time.

According to the American College of Cardiology and American Heart Association, here’s what different top number (systolic) and bottom number (diastolic) means:

• Below 120 and below 80 | Normal blood pressure
• 120 to 129 and below 80 | Elevated blood pressure
• 130 to 139 or 80 to 89 | Stage 1 hypertension
• 140 or higher or 90 or higher | Stage 2 hypertension

My elevated blood pressure put me in Stage 1 hypertension, and nothing I was doing with diet or lifestyle seemed to change my status.

After Covid, I became more interested in understanding what I ate and how it affected me. I read a lot of Dr. Michael…