A mother wears too many hats. She ends up putting herself at the bottom of her list of priorities to the detriment of her overall health. A mother should prioritize her health too. After all, how can a mother give so much care for her loved ones if she is physically and psychologically declining each day as she ages?

How can we protect moms against a broken heart? With all the joys of motherhood come sacrifices that may take their toll on a mother’s cardiovascular health. Hypertension is a silent killer. Many factors can increase blood pressure. Aside from smoking and alcohol intake, what you eat and what you don’t eat can impact your blood pressure. The body fat percentage and weight can also significantly lower or elevate blood pressure values, not to mention the mental and emotional states.

Furthermore, the balance of the electrolytes sodium and potassium in the body plays a role in keeping blood pressure from rising abnormally. Sodium is a component of table salt. It is abundant in condiments, food additives, and preservatives, and is inherently present in food, even vegetables. Sodium is not all that bad. Too much consumption of it, however, especially from concentrated forms like table salt, condiments, ultra-processed food, and fast food, is detrimental to our blood pressure.

How does salt intake increase blood pressure? It does so by causing injury to the arteries within thirty minutes of consumption, as concluded by a study done by Kacie Dickinson and colleagues entitled, "Endothelial Function is Impaired after a High-Salt Meal Intake in Healthy Subjects." The research was published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition in 2011. Arteries allow the passage of oxygenated blood throughout the body. As the arteries stiffen and narrow, the blood pressure increases because the heart needs to pump harder for blood to flow.

When sodium enters the bloodstream, sodium suppresses the activity of an enzyme called superoxide dismutase. It is a key antioxidant that neutralizes free radicals produced by oxidative stress. Simply put, salt intake promotes oxidative stress and the production of cell-damaging free radicals in the bloodstream.

Aside from cutting down on sodium intake, it is important to consume fresh fruits every day. There are, however, specific fruits that should be consumed more often to help keep blood pressure normal.

What can be done to blunt the artery-crippling effect of sodium? In 2012, Jody L. Greaney and colleagues did a study on how dietary sodium loading impairs microvascular function independent of blood pressure in humans and the role of oxidative stress. Their study concluded that ascorbic acid or Vitamin C can reverse most of the suppression of blood vessel function caused by sodium.

As a registered dietitian advocating for wholesome plant-based nutrition, I recommend consuming fresh, frozen, or freeze-dried fruits and vegetables that are abundant in Vitamin C instead of taking supplements in the form of isolated and chemically derived vitamins like ascorbic acid in pill form. Concentrated isolated vitamin supplements can cause imbalances and even kidney stones when taken unnecessarily and excessively.

Vitamin C is rich in fruits like our locally available fruits, guava, papaya, mango, cantaloupe, or melon, and most especially, citrus fruits like oranges. Citrus fruits contain the phytonutrient hesperidin that has the ability to increase blood flow all over the body. Two cups' worth of freshly squeezed orange juice can decrease blood pressure due to the concentration of hesperidin it contains.

Another underrated plant food when it comes to blood pressure-lowering properties is hibiscus tea. Also known as roselle, sorrel, sour tea, or Jamaica, this is derived from hibiscus flowers. It is bright red in color and has a distinct tart flavor that is similar to cranberry. Due to its very high antioxidant content, hibiscus can lower blood pressure with approximately three cups a day, as concluded by a study done by Diane L McKay and colleagues in 2009 among prehypertensive and mildly hypertensive adults.

A study by A Herrera-Arellano and colleagues tested the effectiveness of hibiscus tea every morning against an ACE inhibitor drug, Captopril, among patients with mild to moderate hypertension. Their research concluded that two strong cups or approximately five tea bags of hibiscus tea in the morning effectively lowered the participants’ blood pressure, comparable to a starting dosage of Captopril taken two times a day. The systolic blood pressure decreased from 139.05 to 123.73 mmHg while the diastolic blood pressure went down from 90.81 to 79.52 mmHg.

Aside from Vitamin C, hesperidin, and antioxidants, another molecule known as nitric oxide keeps blood pressure at bay. It is naturally produced in the cell lining of the arteries or blood vessels. It is like a biological messenger in the body that signals the walls of the arteries to relax. Too much free radical formation will decrease nitric oxide, causing the arterial walls to stiffen. Thus, it increases blood pressure. Free radical formation is caused by smoking, pollution, stress, unhealthy diet that is deprived of phytonutrients or plant chemicals from wholesome sources of plant food.

The most effective way to stimulate the body to produce nitric oxide naturally is to consume plant foods that are abundant in natural nitrates, such as beets and leafy greens. Malunggay is readily available in the Philippines. Other sources are cilantro, arugula, basil, berries, and hawthorn berries. Hawthorn may not be readily available locally in the form of berries, but it can be obtained through freeze-dried or powdered form, pill form (provided that the label only indicates hawthorn and nothing else), and tea bags.

A mother may be so busy with many important things, but I implore all the moms out there to take the time to take care of your heart health by intentionally consuming citrus fruits and other Vitamin C-rich fruits and vegetables, as well as, drinking hawthorn and hibiscus teas in addition to the lauded green tea.