High blood pressure and the buildup of solid fats in the arteries can cause arteriosclerosis, or hardening of the arteries, and atherosclerosis, or arterial blockages. Your diet may contribute to all of these consequences. To minimize your cardiovascular risk, create a daily diet that is low in calories, cholesterol and saturated and trans fats and full of sources of potassium. This will help you manage your weight, blood pressure and plaque-inducing blood cholesterol, to reduce your risk for atherosclerotic stroke and heart attack.
Calorie Restriction
Being overweight increases many of your cardiovascular risks, including high blood pressure that affects your arterial health. Keep to a healthy weight or lose weight by controlling your caloric intake, especially if you already have atherosclerosis. The journal "Circulation" published a 2010 study that linked weight loss to a reversal of artery blockage. You can stay within an average 2,000 calories or another limit recommended by your doctor by eating foods with less fat and added sugar.
Solid Fat Restriction
Selecting and cooking foods with less saturated fat, such as that found in meats and butter, and trans fat, such as that contained in some stick margarines, will prevent the buildup of these solid fats in your arteries. Avoiding these foods or eating less of them will also reduce your intake of dietary cholesterol, which is absorbed in the bloodstream and adds to atherosclerotic progression. To reduce your saturated and trans fat consumption, the American Heart Association suggests eating a diet heavy on fruits, vegetables, whole grains and low-fat dairy foods, and light on fatty meats and commercial baked goods. Try fish or beans in place of beef and chicken, and avoid cookies, crackers and muffins that contain trans fat.
Sodium Restriction
The sodium in salty foods raises your blood pressure. High blood pressure may have damaged your arteries and led to arteriosclerosis or atherosclerosis, placing you at high risk for a stroke or heart attack. To prevent, reverse or treat atherosclerosis, you must take dietary measures to control your blood pressure, in addition to any medications your doctor may prescribe. The U.S. Department of Agriculture recommends no more than 1,500 mg of sodium per day in the diets of individuals who have high blood pressure. Eat fewer processed foods and use less table salt to stay within this range.
Ample Potassium Intake
The potassium that you get from foods tempers the action of sodium on your blood pressure. Eating more fruits, vegetables and low-fat dairy products will help you increase your potassium and decrease your fat, cholesterol and sodium intakes. People with atherosclerosis or arteriosclerosis who are more vulnerable to the effects of high blood pressure should especially try hard to achieve the 4,700 mg daily value of potassium advised by the USDA.
References
- MayoClinic.com: Atherosclerosis/Arteriosclerosis; June 2010
- National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute; High Blood Pressure; April 2011
- American Heart Association; How Do I Follow a Healthy Diet?; August 2010
- American Heart Association; Weight Loss Diets May Reverse Atherosclerosis in Overweight and Obese People; March 2010
- USDA; Dietary Guidelines for Americans; December 2010
- National Institutes of Health: Sodium-Potassium Ratio Linked to Cardiovascular Disease Risk; January 2009
