<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>>
 
Note:  I am not a physician
 
There is a LOT of individual variation in how we react to influences on
blood pressure, so this may or may not apply to you.
 
My blood pressure started creeping up after I went GF.    My cholesterol
and triglycerides skyrocketed.   I decided that my malabsorption had been
compensating for my overconsumption of fats and sugars and it had caught up
with me after I went gluten free.    So I reduced my "meat" intake to
occasional skinless chicken and occasional fish;  cut out most dairy
products (except for some goat's milk yoghurt and started loading up on
vegetables and fruits with legumes and some nuts etc.   I cut out all
sugars not naturally included in the food (as in fruit, etc.)  and didn't
miss it (AFTER a withdrawal period).
 
Net result: (After a long period of gradual adjustment)   BP is
consistently 100 to 110/ 65 to 70,  pulse about 50, cholesterol 140-160
(down from 270's) Chol/HDL about 2.3 (down from 7.1)  Triglycerides 40-60
(down from 244).  In addition I lost about 15-20 unneeded pounds without
even thinking about it.
 
Note:  This did NOT work untill I quit the foolishness of trying to
substitute polyunsaturated fats for saturated ones.   What works is to cut
down on TOTAL fat and to make that you do get beneficial (monounsaturated
or high in essential fatty acids).     Eliminating processed foods helps
greatly as there are untold mountains of fats cleverly disguised in
innumerable ways in processed foods.
 
Believe it or not, you do adapt to this and it becomes MORE appetizing than
the junk used to be.  I's fairly easy to maintain as long as you don't
"cheat".   (Cheating prevents your tastes from staying adapted.)
 
In my personal opinion, the AHA guidelines of "30%" is far too high and is
a result of cowardice to reccomend something that they think the public
won't accept.
 
There ARE some disadvantages:   I can no longer hear the ocean roar when I
put a seashell to my ear.
 
Again this will work for SOME people.   There are medical causes for high
blood pressure, so it might be worth discussing with your physician.
 
Give diet a try - just forget the ludicrous "30%" - go for 20 or less.
 
Obviously this must be adapted to individual situations.
 
Jim Barron
Chapel Hill NC
 
PS  for a good understanding of your real requirements of fats, I highly
recommend  "Fats that Heal, Fats that Kill"  by Udo Erasmus    (OK, maybe
an overblown title, but very good scientific foundation and gives you a
real understanding of just what the food processing, beef & chicken & egg
industry, etc. etc. do to the fats in your food.)