I have been diagnosed with high blood pressure.
High Blood Pressure-Hypertension
Millions of people just like you and me across the country and in your own community are diagnosed with high blood pressure every day. Hypertension is an insidious, common, and deadly disease, often detected incidentally at a routine doctor's visit or workplace health screening. First line therapies for all stages of hypertension include exercise and weight loss. Hypertension usually can be controlled–and you may not need to take medication to do it. Your diet plays an important role in managing hypertension. In particular, clinical studies show that eating whole foods over processed foods can reduce blood pressure.
Let’s face it:
Healthy blood pressure diet reduces your risk of stroke, heart failure, and kidney disease. Changing your eating patterns can be hard. That’s why I encourage you to go ease into the process by gradually incorporating the following blood pressure-lowering elements into your diet. Before you know it, you’ll have created an eating plan you love. And that means you’re more likely to sustain it for a lifetime.
How to Reduce High Blood Pressure
• Eat a healthy diet.
Food is another powerful medicine. Whether or not you need to lose weight, eating well can improve your blood pressure. That means eating fruits and vegetables, whole grains, healthy oils (such as olive and canola), foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids (salmon, tuna, walnuts, and flaxseed, for example) and two or three servings daily of low-fat or nonfat dairy products. It also means avoiding saturated and Tran’s fats.
• Enjoy monounsaturated fats.
Drizzle olive oil over your steamed broccoli, sear tuna in canola oil, or munch on olives with your meal. Avoid saturated fats like butter and lard.
• Limit your salt usage.
A sudden jump in blood pressure may be a sign of salt-sensitive hypertension. Count the salt you shake as well as the salt in restaurant meals and processed foods. You'll want to quiz the server, read package labels and emphasize natural, whole foods.
• Eat lean proteins–but not too frequently.
Every week, eat two or three helpings of fish, poultry, or whole beans. If you eat red meat such as beef, pork, or lamb, do so very sparingly (once or twice a month).
• Drink alcohol only in moderation.
If you are able to drink with no problems, a daily drink or two with a meal may calm stress (which reduces blood pressure) and it can have positive effects on your heart health. Moderate drinking means no more than 1 drink per day for women, and 2 for men.
• Don’t overeat.
Track your calories on a website like SuperTracker to help you reduce your weight or maintain it at a healthy level.
• Exercise regularly.
Exercise is powerful medicine. Walking briskly for 30 minutes to 45 minutes, five or six days a week can lower your blood pressure up to 10 points. We recommend combining an aerobic activity that you enjoy - such as walking, swimming, running or biking - with some type of resistance exercise, such as lifting light weights. During aerobic exercise, work hard enough to break into a sweat, but not so hard that you become out of breath or unable to converse. If you are just getting in shape, start with 20 minutes of aerobic activity, three times a week. Gradually build to 60 minutes daily. Talk with your physician for advice specific to your needs.
Blood Pressure Lifestyle Changes
When you make the lifestyle changes that help reduce your blood pressure, you will benefit your health in other ways, too. The recommended diet, weight and exercise guidelines will also lower your risk of developing diabetes, some cancers, dementia, and high cholesterol.
My lifestyle totally has changed, but let me tell you with all this changing I feel so young again, and my blood pressure is under control. I hope you can do the same. Have a healthy life. Good luck!. If you like to share your thoughts leave a comment below.
