Controlling blood pressure with a controlled diet is one of the most important things you can do for your overall health. High blood pressure is characterized by the force of blood pushing against your walls of arteries. The higher the level, the harder it is for your heart to have to work so hard to pump blood throughout your body and the more potential it is that potential damage is being done directly to the delicate heart muscle. Even if the lower end of the blood pressure scale is reached, though, your health still really depends on how you eat. Because all areas of your system depend on blood flow, even though it’s not only your heart that can suffer as a result of high blood pressure, it’s not only your heart that can be affected.
Exercise is often the first recommendation, many people turn to when they want to improve their heart health. That’s probably because exercise has been proven to be a great stress reliever. In fact, exercise is one of the most important things you can do to reduce the risk of coronary artery disease. But there are many other ways to improve heart health by controlling blood pressure and to reduce the buildup of plaque in the arteries. And controlling blood pressure isn’t the only thing you can do to improve heart health. Other common lifestyle changes can help you reach your goals for heart health and reduce the risks of stroke and other heart problems.
If you want to improve your health by controlling blood pressure and by improving your overall physical well-being, controlling your diet is going to be critical. That’s because many of the foods we love to eat can actually cause our blood pressures to go up! That’s why the first step in any diet program is to stop smoking and begin to eat healthier. Not only will quitting smoking bring health benefits, but eating healthier will also help control your weight as well as keep your cholesterol levels low and reduce your stress level.
The first thing you should eat to help control your blood pressure is a diet that is lower in sodium and higher in potassium. Potassium is necessary for regulating muscle contractions, heart rate and blood pressure. For this reason, it is extremely important to eat a diet rich in potassium and sodium. The first thing you should do is check your labels for sodium content and then go shopping for products like canned tuna and soup to make sure you’re not eating Potassium D potassium rich food. You can find good tasting versions of these products at your local grocery store or on the Internet.
When shopping for foods to add to a diet that’s lower in sodium and higher in potassium, be careful not to buy the “low-carb” diet items. The key word here is “low-carb”. Most low-carb diet foods actually contain a great deal of sodium and are not low in potassium content per se. These items such as pasta sauces (with the exception of cream sauces), dried beans and beef are high in potassium but low in sodium, and when combined with your current dietary sodium intake, will actually increase your blood pressure!
Lifestyle changes to incorporate when controlling blood pressure include maintaining regular exercise and keeping active social lives. If you enjoy activities such as dancing, take part in more, even if it’s just a few minutes. Regular exercise helps your body to use up more of its existing energy reserves. Aerobic exercise is great for maintaining your weight and improving your cardiovascular health. The best part is, you can tailor the kind of aerobic exercise you do to exactly match what your lifestyle requires of you – meaning that if you find that you’re not physically active, you don’t need to do exercise that intense. Although, participating in some type of an aerobic class could be the perfect answer.
Finally, and most importantly, if you want to keep your blood pressure down to a healthy level, keep your total weight as less than 85% of your ideal body weight. If you are overweight, losing some weight is going to have a positive effect on your health, in addition to helping you lower your blood pressure. Losing any excess weight is always good for you.
It’s important to remember, however, that this doesn’t mean you should starve yourself! A healthy diet containing lean protein and whole grains is excellent for lowering hypertension. And you can eat all the fruits and vegetables you like, while eating less red meat, saturated fat, and salt. By making these simple lifestyle changes, you’ll be well on your way to controlling your blood pressure without the use of pharmaceuticals.
