Eating Your Way To Normal Blood Pressure
In the US today high blood pressure has reached epidemic levels with over 65 million people suffering from high blood pressure and another 45 million suffering from a condition referred to as pre-hypertension. High blood pressure is a symptomless disease which raises your risk of heart attack and stroke and you could quite easily have it without any knowledge of it until it is too late.
There are of course medications available which can help in lowering blood pressure, but a lot of these are accompanied by side effects and, although some people might need to take medicine in the short term to lower their blood pressure, a far better solution is to control the condition 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 lower your blood pressure quite quickly if you alter your diet and start to take some exercise. That said, if you’ve been sedentary for a long time you ought not to suddenly start a vigorous exercise program and it is always a good idea to talk to your doctor before starting 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 have in your diet to help you in lowering your blood pressure? Well, potassium is one of the major substances which is missing in today’s American diet and that is very beneficial for your blood pressure. It help to reduce blood pressure just as sodium helps raise your blood pressure and thus getting enough potassium in your diet can help even out blood pressure.
It is very easy to get enough potassium in your diet by merely adding plenty of fresh or frozen vegetable and fruits, as long as they do not have any added salt or sugar. Even though this may seem bland to some people, it’s an excellent way to make sure that you normalize your blood pressure. And of course, at the same time you need to cut down on the salt to the recommended daily intake of about 2400 mg a day. A great way to achieve this is not to add salt to your diet at all as natural and unprocessed foods contain enough salt and, if you wish to add flavor to your food then simply try using herbs and spices.
Magnesium and calcium are two other minerals that can help lower blood pressure. These two minerals are considered to be calming minerals and most Americans don’t get enough of them in their diets. dairy products that are low in fat are an excellent source of calcium as are legumes, nuts, and dark and leafy green vegetables. You should try to get a balance of about two parts of magnesium to three parts of calcium. Foods such as white beans, soybeans, and sesame seeds not only have a lot of calcium and magnesium but they are also good sources of potassium.
Finally, make sure that you drink enough water and also get enough fiber in your diet. Fiber is important because it helps to speed toxins and other unhealthy substances out of your body and it also helps you feel full so that you do not overeat.