Reviewed by Dietitian Emily Lachtrupp, MS, RD
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Key points
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Understanding the importance of a healthy diet is crucial to the management of high blood pressure.
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Eat more potassium -rich fruits and vegetables and cut sodium.
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Cook more of your dishes at home and consider following a dash or Mediterranean diet.
If you know you have high blood pressure, you are already a step forward. Although high blood pressure (hypertension) affects almost half of US adults, it does not cause symptoms at first – so many people don’t even know they have it.
Read to learn more about what high blood pressure means, the greatest thing you need to avoid if you have it and proven strategies that you can take to improve it.
What is high blood pressure?
Your blood pressure is the strength of your blood that is driven through your arteries. Normal blood pressure is below 120/80 mm Hg. The largest number, systolic blood pressure, measures the pressure when the heart beats. The lower number, the diastolic blood pressure is the pressure when the heart is at rest between the strokes.
High blood pressure can lead to several healthy complications, such as stroke, heart attack, kidney disease, loss of vision and others. “If you are diagnosed with high blood pressure, lifestyle modification is crucial. Evaluate your diet, weight and exercise habits,” says Maria Elena Fraga, Rd, Cdces, Director of the Mount Sinai Diabetes Alliance in New York.
# 1 something to avoid
# 1, which you should avoid if you have high blood pressure, underestimates your effect on your eating habits on your levels. Knowing that you can make a big difference in your blood pressure by changing some aspects of your diet is positive and empowering news.
Impacting blood pressure lowering habits include limiting sodium, eating fruits and vegetables that are rich in potassium, cooking more at home and after plans for feeding blood pressure. “Dealing your blood pressure handle requires changes in behavior and lifestyle that can take time, effort, consistency and patience,” says Sarah Curie, MS, RD, personal trainer and co -owner of physical balance in New York. With what has been said, here are the impactful changes you can start making in your diet.
Cut sodium
Over time, eating a high sodium diet can narrow blood vessels and increase blood pressure. “You will be surprised how many food items contain hidden sources of sodium,” says Fraga. Packaged foods are often full of sodium, and some of the best culprits are preserved soups, frozen dishes and delicacies, adds Currie.
The American Cardiac Association suggests that reducing 1000 milligrams per day sodium can have a beneficial effect on blood pressure. For people with high blood pressure, AHA recommends consuming no more than 1500 milligrams of sodium per day.
To reduce sodium intake, try replacing a portion of salt in your garlic recipes, fresh herbs and spices. Read the package labels and restaurant menus before you buy or order to help you make a choice of lower sodium. When you read labels, look at the daily sodium percentage and strive for lower sodium foods when possible. Foods with sodium DV of 5% or less per serving are considered foods low in sodium, while those with 20% DV or more sodium per serving are considered high-sodium and should be limited.
Eat foods rich in potassium
Potassium counteracts sodium by helping your body radiate it through your urine. (In short, you look at it.) The mineral also helps to relax the walls of blood vessels, which lowers blood pressure. AHA recommends consuming 3500 to 5000 milligrams of potassium daily to prevent or treat high blood pressure.
Increase potassium intake by eating more fruits and vegetables. Aim to eat 4½ cups of fruits and vegetables every day. Potassium -rich foods include:
Cook more dishes at home
The restaurant diet is often high in sodium, which can make it difficult to stay within the recommended limits. One study found that the average sodium content in fast food eating was about 1300 milligrams-the entire recommended sodium limit for someone with high blood pressure. Cooking at home gives you control of all ingredients. Whole foods such as fruits, vegetables, dried legumes, unsaid nuts and seeds and fresh protein sources contain almost no sodium. When cooking, you can flavor foods with fresh and dried herbs and spices, including basil, oregano, cumin, rosemary, turmeric and more.
This does not mean you can’t eat – it just takes a little planning. If the restaurant provides nutrition information, check it in advance to plan food that has a lower sodium. Avoid or limit fried foods that tend to be higher in sodium, Curry says and ask for sauces and bandages on the side. Choose for roasted, baked, grilled or stewed proteins, paired with green and other colored vegetables.
Consider a dash or Mediterranean eating style
Dash diet (dietary approaches to stop hypertension) is designed for deliberate treatment of high blood pressure. This style of eating focuses on eating fruits, vegetables, legumes, whole grains, dairy products without fats or fats, slender proteins and limited saturated fats, red meat, added sugar and sodium. The dash diet is rich in important nutrients that help lower blood pressure, including potassium, calcium, magnesium, fiber and protein.
The Mediterranean diet is very similar to the dashing plan, as it is filled with fresh fruits and vegetables rich in beans and whole grains, nuts and seeds. This diet plan also recommends limiting foods that contain larger amounts of saturated fat, such as red meat. A food that is known to the Mediterranean diet is olive oil, which is rich in polyphenols that can protect the heart.
Strategies to improve blood pressure
Improving the quality of your diet is an effective way to manage hypertension. Other lifestyle factors that help reduce blood pressure include:
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Get regular physical activity, including this ranking exercise # 1 for better blood pressure.
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Practice stress management.
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Reach a healthy weight if weight loss is recommended. Here’s how to lose weight when you don’t know where to start.
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Take enough sleep. Purpose seven to nine hours of sleep every night.
If lifestyle factors are not sufficient to maintain your blood pressure in a healthy range, you may need medication. Contact a healthcare provider for guidance.
Our expert takes
High blood pressure is a common condition affecting many Americans, but you can take steps to improve your number and prevent hypertension. One of the biggest mistakes that people make is not to realize how important it is to feed blood pressure and maintain a healthy heart.
Small, consecutive steps – such as reading labels to reduce sodium, cook at home more often, and eating many fruits and vegetables – can have a big change. For personalized support and guidance, ask a health care provider to work with a registered nutritionist who can create an individualized eating plan and set goals that work for you.
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