Diet for People With High Blood Pressure

Overview

Changing your dietary habits alone, without any other lifestyle habits, can significantly lower blood pressure. With nearly one in four American's suffering from elevated blood pressure, dietary changes are essential to control a condition effecting 25 percent of the population. High blood pressure, or hypertension, develops in many people as their bodies age, while a small percentage of cases are caused by underlying conditions or medications. Blood pressure is determined by the amount of blood the heart pumps in comparison with the resistance found in the arteries. The DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) is just one diet aid that will help you lower your blood pressure by diet habits alone. In addition to the DASH, learn a few ways to reduce your blood pressure significantly.

Step 1

Include a variety of fresh fruits and vegetables in your diet. Consume 8 to 10 servings on a daily basis. Purchase fruits and vegetables from the local grocery store, farmer's market or grow your own. Drinking fruit smoothies made with low-fat yogurt and low-sodium vegetable juice are alternate way to increase your fruit and vegetable intake. Eating a spinach salad or apple with lunch is a simple way to add fresh items to your daily diet. Fiber, potassium and magnesium are also found in fruits and vegetables and have a healthy impact of your body. The Mayo Clinic states that both fresh and frozen vegetables are good additions to a daily diet to lower blood pressure.

Step 2

Avoid consuming salt or sodium and reduce the daily amount of sodium to 1,500 mg per day suggests The Mayo Clinic. Do not cook with salt or use a small amount with cooking. Shunning salt can be difficult, especially for your taste buds. Gradually decrease sodium intake over several weeks for your body to adjust. Steer clear of salt temptation and do not place the salt shaker on the dining room table. Eat fresh fruits and vegetables because processed food contain more sodium, according to The Centers for Disease Control. Make soups and other foods from scratch to avoid high amounts of sodium, soups and other canned food have high percentages of salt. Read ingredient labels to identify what foods have high amounts of salt; the higher on the list of an item is the more predominant the ingredient is. Flavor food using herbs and spices including as cayenne pepper, garlic and horseradish. Look through your spice rack and kitchen cabinets to find alternative flavors for food. Foods high in salt include fast food, snack foods, processed meats, according to Fat Free Kitchen, a website devoted to healthy eating.

Step 3

Add low-fat or fat-free dairy products to your daily diet. The National Institutes of Health recommends three servings of dairy a day to incorporate the DASH diet properly. Eat a bowl of cottage cheese and fruit for breakfast, have a glass of milk during lunch and snack on cheese and crackers in the afternoon. Choose frozen yogurt instead of ice cream for a sweet dessert.

Step 4

Make meat a part of the meal and not the main focus recommends The National Institutes of Health. Add additional vegetables, rice or beans to the meal when eating less meat. Limit meat consumption to two servings a day. The DASH diet considers one serving of meat 1 oz.; a typical 3-oz. serving of meat is the size of a baseball card. Cut away excessive fat and only cook meat by broiling or baking; do not fry meat. Eat fish, such as salmon and tuna, that are high in omega-3 fatty acids which decrease the body's cholesterol.