Diet For High Blood Pressure

If you are like most folks, you understand that there is a strong connection between a healthy lifestyle and the prevention of disease.

But you may not realize that what you eat, or perhaps what you do not eat, can lower your blood pressure or even prevent the onset of hypertension (high blood pressure).

In addition, losing weight by eating foods that are known to lower your blood pressure is a great way to lower your blood pressure numbers even more. With a few simple dietary changes that include calorie restriction and controlling your portion sizes, you may be able to substantially decrease your blood pressure, which is a great way to lower your risk for developing heart disease. Let’s look at the best diet for high blood pressure, and what you can do right now to become heart-healthy.

Weight and Your Blood Pressure

People who are obese or even just overweight have a higher incidence of high blood pressure. Many studies have proven that losing some weight can lower your blood pressure. Losing weight will also help you reduce the amount of medication that you need to control hypertension, or even eliminate the need for blood pressure lowering medications altogether. If you weigh more than is ideal for your body’s frame, talk to your physician or other healthcare provider about a heart-healthy weight loss plan. Moving around more and burning more calories each day than you take in via exercise and increased activity is a stepping stone to weight control. In fact, just a few minutes of your time (thirty minutes, at least three times weekly) will strengthen your heart and lower your blood pressure significantly.

Diet for High Blood Pressure: Calorie Counting

The fact is that most people are blissfully unaware of the number of calories that they are taking in each day, and may underestimate how much they actual eat – all the while, wondering why they cannot lose weight. A food diary or food journal is a great way to reinforce your diet for high blood pressure; keeping track of the food that you eat each day is a great way to keep track of your caloric intake. When you start your food diary, be sure to include the portion sizes of the foods that you put on your plate. Counting calories and cutting back on portion size will help you shed those unwanted pounds and better manage your blood pressure, and your body weight.

Foods for High Blood Pressure Diet

Your blood pressure is greatly affected by the foods that you eat. Many studies have been done on the negative impact that a high-sodium diet has on blood pressure control and some of these studies concluded that the less sodium in the diet, the more control you have over your blood pressure, even for those people who are on blood pressure lowering medication. Fiber, potassium and magnesium intake may also affect your blood pressure – of which fruits and veggies are abundant sources. To up your magnesium intake, you should also add lean meat, nuts, legumes, and seeds to your high blood pressure diet.

The DASH Diet for High Blood Pressure

You may have heard of the popular DASH diet for high blood pressure. DASH is an acronym for Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension, and the DASH diet has been shown to substantially lower blood pressure numbers after just weeks on the plan. DASH diet followers consume no more than 2300 mg of sodium per day; the lower sodium DASH diet calls for less than 1500 mg of sodium daily – and is recommended for those who have been diagnosed with hypertension, African Americans and those who are middle aged and older. The DASH diet has been shown to reduce the risk of coronary artery disease and stroke when followed for several years. In a nutshell, the DASH diet involves eating more fruits and vegetables, whole grains, poultry, fish, low-fat dairy, fiber, protein, and calcium, while shying away from sodium, sugar, sweetened drinks, desserts, fats, processed meats and red meat. The DASH diet is based on a caloric intake of 2000 daily calories and includes:

• Grains, 7-8 servings daily – bread, rice, pasta, cereal.
• Vegetables, 4-5 servings daily – leafy greens, cooked vegetables.
• Fruits, 4-5 servings daily – fresh, frozen, dried, or in juice form.
• Low fat/fat free dairy, 2-3 servings daily – yogurt, milk, cheese.
• Lean meat, fish and poultry, 2 or fewer servings – cooked.
• Nuts, seeds, and legumes, 4-5 servings each week.
• Fats and oils, 2-3 servings daily – vegetables oil, margarine, mayonnaise, salad dressing.
• Sweets, less than 5 servings weekly – 1 tablespoon of sugar/jelly/jam constitutes a serving.

One major goal of the DASH diet is to consume no more than on teaspoon of table salt daily, which amounts to 2300 mg of salt – combined throughout the entire day’s meals (or 1500 mg on the lower sodium DASH diet for high blood pressure plan).