Some of you know that my husband and I began a raw vegan/vegan lifestyle in 2017. It was prescribed by Dr. Baxter Montgomery to treat hubby’s cardiac problems. This is a very curative dietary lifestyle. So how did I end up battling high blood pressure. To explain that I have to go back to pre-Covid quarantine.

I made all our food from scratch. I bought veggies and fruit in their original, natural state and prepared our dishes with extremely minimal processing. Hubby got stronger. Arthritis pain decreased for both of us. We had more energy. Eventually, I was showing signs of fatigue from all the work and not enough rest. It takes time. Dr. Montgomery noticed I was tired and told me I didn’t have to prepare everything from scratch. There were some things I could buy already prepared. Looking back on it I think he meant something different than I understood. I began to purchase prepared vegan food. I read the labels and bought what was closest to what I would have prepared. That was the beginning of the slippery slope. A few non-related things added to my stress and fatigue level. That lead to the next step down.

Second, I was introduced to the Impossible Burger and the Beyond Burger. They’re plant-based right? They were tasty and convenient. They were also processed and high in sodium. Now in moderation they may not have been bad but when you are tired and hungry you go for the quick fixes. I purchased the patties and the sausages from the market. Then Burger King began selling Impossible Burgers. Oh, I forgot. Red Robin sold veggie burgers and they were near our home. On those days,they had become frequent, that cooking was harder than buying, I purchased from the restaurants. They are plant based right? A more than moderate diet of these with fries combined with steady doses of high stress leads to problems. This was not every meal but it was more than I should have done, The majority of this activity was during the quarantine. Our daily walks ended. So no excercise. Now I don’t have anything against those products but they are not my family’s friend. Now that I am in this battle, they are forever off my list of things to eat. In fact I am trying to get rid of all processed food. If you are having similar problems I recommend eliminating processed foods even if they are plant-based. Read the labels.

Today I awaken with a blood pressure of 155/102 and HR 61. This was 30mmHg lower than I began yesterday. Cardio for 16 minutes. 4oz of beet juice. Wanted to see if that had a similar effect as did 8oz. I had a stressful day. Husband seems to have Covid symptoms. At 3:59 blood pressure was 150/94 HR 74. At 7:30 148/97 HR 73. Drank 8 oz of freash celery juice. 10pm 167/101 HR 69. It seems celery juice is not as effective as the beet juice. At least not with me. Tomorrow return to 8os of beet juice but the celery juice will be included as well. I am determined to find the correct combination for me.

NOTE: Last night I took magnesium before I went to bed along with CBD infused tea. I felt so rested when I woke up. Hadn’t felt that in a long time. I am trying it tonight with the magnesium only. Hopefully it will also lower my blood pressure tonight.