Eat Your Way To Lower Blood Pressure
If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!
High blood pressure is at epidemic proportions in the United States today with more than 65 million people suffering from high blood pressure and another 45 million having a condition known as pre-hypertension. High blood pressure is a symptomless disease which increases your risk of heart attack and stroke and you could very easily be suffering from it without any knowledge of it until it is too late.
Of course there are medicines available which can help in lowering blood pressure, but many of these are accompanied by side effects and, even though some people might have to take medication in the short term to control high blood pressure, a much better solution is to control your blood pressure naturally if you can.
For almost all of us high blood pressure is related to weight and diet and this is a major problem today when two thirds of Americans are overweight or obese. Furthermore, most Americans get too much salt in their diets and not enough of the many other beneficial vitamins and minerals that can actually lower blood pressure. In short, you can eat your way to a lower blood pressure, if you know what you are doing.
If truth be told, it is often possible to normalize your blood pressure fairly fast if you change your diet and begin taking exercise. That said, if you have not been exercising for a long time you ought not to suddenly begin exercising vigorously and it’s always prudent to talk to your doctor before beginning any exercise program.
To begin with though let’s look at what you should avoid and top of the list comes salt. Salt (or sodium) is one of the chief offenders in today’s high blood pressure epidemic. Too much dietary fat is also a culprit because it encourages weight gain, arteriosclerosis, and other problems which result in high blood pressure. Hence, two things which you should avoid in your diet are salt and excess fat, particularly trans or saturated fats.
So, what sorts of food should you include in your diet to help you to reduce your blood pressure? Well, potassium is one of the most important substances which is lacking in today’s American diet and that is very beneficial for your blood pressure. Potassium assists in lowering blood pressure just as salt help to raise your blood pressure and thus getting enough potassium in your diet can help to stabilize blood pressure.
It is very easy to get enough potassium into your diet by simply adding plenty of fresh or frozen fruits and vegetables, providing of course that they have no added suger or salt. Even though this may seem bland to some people, it is one of the best ways to ensure that you regularize your blood pressure. Naturally of course, at the same time you also want to cut down on the salt to no more than the recommended daily intake of approximately 2400 mg each day. A very good way to achieve this is not to add any salt at all to your diet because natural and unprocessed foods contain enough salt and, if you feel you need to add flavor to your food then simply try herbs and spices.
Calcium and magnesium are two other minerals which can help to lower blood pressure. Both calcium and magnesium are considered to be calming minerals and most Americans don’t get enough of them in their diets. Low-fat dairy products are an excellent source of calcium as are legumes, nuts, and dark and leafy green vegetables. You ought to endeavor to get a balance of roughly two parts of magnesium to three parts of calcium. Foods like soybeans, sesame seeds and white beans not only have a lot of magnesium and calcium but they are also good sources of potassium.
Lastly, make sure that you drink enough water and get enough fiber in your diet. Fiber helps to clear toxins and unhealthy substances from your body and it also helps you feel full so that you are not tempted to eat too much.
