I’ve spent the past year experimenting with ways to lower my blood pressure through habit formation. In 2021, I lowered my blood pressure from an average of 154/105 to an average of 125/74, without the use of medication. This year, I’m making videos to share what I’ve learned with you.

Watch the video below to follow along with me as I eat mindfully and joyfully, in my attempt to lower my blood pressure and save my heart from disease.

I LOVE watching “What I eat in a day” videos. I find them great for inspiration and to get myself out of a food rut. But when I went looking for inspiration based solely on heart healthy habits, I couldn’t find much. There were videos created and produced by doctors and hospitals. Which is great. But I was looking for real people working to implement these habits into their actual lives.

While there are plenty of “What I eat in a day” videos that do that well, most of them focus on weight loss and lifestyle options like vegan or paleo or keto. I’ve had some trouble finding “What I eat in a day” videos focused specifically on high blood pressure. Perhaps this is because the average Youtuber does not yet have to worry too much about heart disease. Yet.

So here I am, filling the Gen X void YouTube in 2022. 

COFFEE 

I woke up a little later than usual today. It’s New Year’s Day. Happy New Year! The Omicron variant kept us at home this year watching the new Matrix movie, then the formidable Billy Porter dropping the ball in New Orleans, and popping bubbly on our back porch, and then I went to bed right after that. However, at three am, my husband woke me up because one of the cats was missing. 

These are quarantine cats rescued in 2020, and they are keenly tethered to my children’s souls. So my oldest son was frantic with worry when his cat – Pumpkin – went missing.

We found the cat. So it turned out well, but the adrenaline produced in that moment kept me up for a while. So I woke up late today. 

Like many of you, my first move in the morning is toward the coffee maker. Don’t feel shame about that. In this recent study from the Mayo Clinic, researchers explain that the initial studies touting the dangers of coffee didn’t take into account the fact that those who drank coffee also generally smoked and led sedentary lifestyles. When newer studies adjusted for those factors, some health benefits were revealed. One of the most recent studies concluded that filtered coffee is actually good for you. 

I don’t count macros or calories. I try to stick mostly to whole foods, but I don’t deprive myself anything I want. I did that deprivation and negative self talk for years and I’m done with that. If I had a fan I would snap it right now. If you have one, kindly snap it for me.

Food brings me so much joy and what is the point of saving my heart for my future self if I’m not having fun with it? Or experiencing joy.

Research aside, coffee is one of those things that brings me true joy. I literally sniff the freshly ground beans in the morning, and I can feel my shoulders relax. Am I sniffing it because I’m addicted? Provably? Because it’s a stimulant? Likely.

But I find the smell comforting. And the warm beverage itself? As Sheldon Cooper would say, social protocol states when a friend is upset, you offer them a warm beverage. For good reason. It provides comfort, helps them calm down. Warms them from the inside out.

I think it’s possible that what you put in your coffee can potentially be more unhealthy than the coffee itself. What I am using today is:

Unsweetened almond milk, which has Calcium and Vitamin E. 

Maple syrup, which has Calcium, Potassium, Iron, Zinc and Manganese.

And today I’m adding some collagen peptides. I use this for my joints. I have a trick knee that I like to think of as an old tennis or softball injury. But right now, the knee situation is not great. I think I might have torn my meniscus. So part of my self care in the past few days has been adding this collagen to my coffee in the mornings, which in the past I’ve found has a nice lubricating quality in my joints.

If the idea of putting maple syrup in your coffee sounds weird, I get that. I got this idea idea from Lisa Leake at 100 Days of Real Food. And trust me when I say, don’t knock it ‘til you’ve tried it. I should note that I use less than a tablespoon. It sweetens so well, it’s easy to overdo it. Start with just a little and work your way up, or else you’ll end up with something WAY too sweet.

I also should note I’m talking about REAL legit maple syrup, tapped from a tree . I am NOT talking about the pancake syrup we all used in the 90’s.

I took my coffee to the sofa, which I have set up to prop up my leg. I have my laptop and a book here. Just last night I finished reading All These Monsters, by Amy Tintera. Loved it. So good. But now I’m gonna do some writing of my own and enjoy my morning cup. 

BRUNCH

At around 11 am, I was ready for something to eat. I’m having some of the leftover cheese plate we had last night to celebrate New Year’s Eve. To make it substantial I’m having some eggs with it.

Eggs have a host of vitamins and minerals. Protein, Vitamin A, Folate, Vitamins B2, B12 and B5, Selenium, which acts as an antioxidant. I make mine with butter, salt and pepper.

I’m also having grapes which are flavonol rich, which are compounds that can act as antioxidants. Then I  decided to go really crazy and have a half of a sourdough English muffin with some guacamole. Because I was feeling it.

Avocados have Vitamin K, Folate, Vitamins C and Potassium and the healthy fat helps keep you feeling full for longer periods of time. And I love feeling full. Plus if you have not joined the avocado toast with Trader Joe’s Everything but the bagel seasoning revolution, what are you doing with your life?

The ingredients in the ready-made guacamole are: Avocados, vinegar and then traces of water, jalapenos, salt, onion and garlic. I try to use fresh ingredients when I can but sometimes you don’t have that option. And when that happens, try to buy ready made products with the smallest ingredient list, with the most recognizable words. This does have some sodium in it, but it is a relatively healthy option in a pinch. 

After brunch my youngest son woke up and we watched an episode of Community together and snuggled on the sofa. I try to soak up as many snuggles as I can right now, before they get too old and it gets weird. For them, not me. I will never not want to snuggle my babies.

WORKOUT

For my workouts, I usually enjoy yoga or taking a walk around the neighborhood. I find these activities relieve me of stress and contribute to my mental resilience, especially during the pandemic. But with my knee not in the best shape right now, I just did a few stretches. And some arm weights.

DINNER

At about four pm, I started to get hungry for dinner. I had coconut shrimp leftover from last night because I seriously overbought for a New Year’s Eve celebration for just four people. So my husband made these in the air fryer my mom got us for Christmas and I made a big salad to go with them.

If anyone has any favorite air fryer recipes, I’d love to hear about them. We resisted this trend for a long time because we just didn’t think we would use it now I love it. The first thing I made was just some chicken nuggets and they came out perfectly. I can’t wait to make french fries in it.

I made my salad with some cabbage and spinach. 

Cabbage is one of the oldest known vegetables, and its relative inexpensiveness and the health benefits earned it the nickname “drug of the poor” during the Middle Ages. It’s high in fiber and water content, which is great for digestion. It also has Vitamin C and Vitamin K and is great for heart health.

Spinach is another powerhouse when it comes to heart health. It has Potassium and Magnesium, is anti-inflammatory and is a great source of inorganic nitrate, which studies suggest may help prevent heart disease.

I wash my veggies in a sink with water and white vinegar. Sometimes I’m a rock star and I do this as soon as I get them home. Most times, however, I just wash them when I need them. I made a simple dressing with garlic, olive oil, red wine vinegar, salt and pepper. And I added some sunflower seeds to mine, which I love for the crunch and the way they cling to the dressing.

After dinner, I watched the Harry Potter 20th Anniversary special, which was amazing. Then later on I had a small portion of a Cadbury chocolate bar, which I got in my stocking this year.

And then I took a long, hot shower and crawled into bed early to start on my first book of 2022, The Upside of Unrequited by Becky Albertalli. She wrote Simon and the Homosapiens Agenda, which I loved, and I’m already falling in love with this one too. Her writing is such a delight. And I read until I fell asleep.

Want to learn more about the heart healthy foods I eat? I’ve made you a list!