Can a regular dose of seaweed help lower blood pressure? Whilst diet is only one cause of raised blood pressure, there are some easy everyday changes we can make in our diet to support lowering blood pressure.
A word about blood pressure and high blood pressure
Pressure in our blood flow is critical as oxygen and nutrients cannot be pushed around the circulatory system to nourish tissues and organs without some pressure. Without blood pressure, hormones such as insulin and white blood cells (delivering antibodies for immunity) could not be delivered around our bodies.High blood pressure is an increasingly common health condition where the force of your blood against your artery walls is too high, too often. It is determined by how much blood your heart pumps and the resistance to blood flow in your arteries. The more blood your heart pumps and the narrow arteries, the higher your blood pressure.
Ongoing high blood pressure (hypertension) stresses your heart and can lead to health problems like heart disease and stroke.
Two common diet-related causes of high blood pressure.
Many factors contribute to high blood pressure. However, two are specific diet related:- Too much salt (sodium) causes the body to retain fluid, increasing blood pressure.
- Too little potassium – potassium helps balance the amount of sodium in your cells. If we don’t get enough potassium in our diet – or lose too much potassium due to dehydration or other health conditions – sodium can build up in our blood, leading to higher blood pressure.
The connection between salt, sodium and potassium
Sodium and potassium are two of the body’s two significant electrolytes, which work together to regulate nutrients within the cells and regulate bodily fluids—consuming these in moderate amounts for optimal health and management of blood pressure.
Sodium is at the foundation of all life – an essential nutrient and significant life-preserving substance without which we cannot do. Although ‘salt’ and ‘sodium’ are often used interchangeably, they do not mean the same thing. Salt (also known by its chemical name, sodium chloride) is a crystal-like compound that is common in nature. Sodium is a mineral, one of the chemical elements in salts.
Potassium is the primary electrolyte in the fluid inside cells, while sodium is the principal electrolyte outside cells.
Salts provide the body’s transportation system for electrical energy and are so crucial that the endocrine system and all its glands – pineal, pituitary, hypothalamus, thyroid, adrenals, pancreas and reproductive, use them to communicate with one another to maintain optimal health and balance.
These electrolytes are found naturally in the fruits and vegetables we consume, but processed foods tend to add more sodium chloride. This is an inexpensive way to enhance and balance flavour, add texture, mask bitterness and preserve freshness. The use of excess sodium chloride in food preparation has received a great deal of negative press concerning processed foods. Regular table salt (sodium chloride) is typically highly processed and often chemically iodised with iodine.
Other essential electrolytes are calcium, phosphate, chloride and magnesium.
Can eating seaweed regularly help to lower blood pressure?
Seaweeds offer a salty flavour but contain various minerals, not just sodium and chloride. Whilst each seaweed species is unique, they also tend to have lower amounts of sodium chloride and higher amounts of potassium salts.
Because potassium is chemically similar to sodium, it stimulates the same taste buds in a similar way that sodium does, imparting a similarly salty flavour to food without adversely affecting blood pressure.
Late in 2020, US Food and Drug Administration allowed manufacturers to use the name ‘potassium salt’ on food labels instead of potassium chloride to help people understand it is an increasingly relevant salt substitute.
It's worth noting that many seaweeds also offer a source of calcium, phosphate and magnesium.
Using seaweeds to support lowering blood pressure
Read our blog about why seaweed makes a great alternative to salt as a seasoning or garnish. Our customers have told us repeatedly that once they started eating seaweed regularly, their cravings for salty foods decreased. Their bodies are undoubtedly thanking them for the increased range of minerals ingested thanks to seaweed!
Here are some easy swaps for common seasoning products which can support lowering blood pressure:
|
Replace these |
With these seaweed-based alternatives |
Benefit |
|---|---|---|
|
Salt/Rock Salt/Plain Sea Salt |
Seaweed Salt, Kelp Salt, Kelp seasoning, Kelp powder, Power of Three flakes |
Increased minerals Increased umami flavour Increase visual appeal |
|
Chemical stocks |
Soak a Kombu leaf or strip in your stock water |
Deeper umami flavour Increased nutrients |
|
Garlic /Chilli |
More nutrients Tenderising Deeper umami flavours |
|
|
MSG/Aromat |
Kelp seasoning (particularly Garlic Kelp seasoning) |
Chemical free flavours Umami richness Mineral richmess |
|
Parsley / Pepper |
Kelp powder, |
Increased minerals Deeper umami flavours Increased visual appeal |
|
Anchovies Mushroom |
Plant based alternative to Anchovy Increased nutrients Dramatic colour and texture |
|
|
Liquid Smoke/ Hickory |
Manuka Smoked Atlantic Dulse Flakes, Manuka Smoked Salt |
Chemical free seasoning Increased minerals Strong visual appeal Unique flavours |
* a delicate, sorrel-like flavour
** known as the vegan bacon
