If you have high blood pressure, borderline high blood pressure or a family history of high blood pressure, changing your eating habits can change your health for the better. In fact, according to the Mayo Clinic, making lifestyle changes can be even more effective than medication for many people when it comes to controlling high blood pressure. Take control of your health in the new year by adopting smart eating habits.
Monitor Your Diet
Keeping track of what you eat every day can be one of the best tools for improving your diet, according to the Mayo Clinic. Keep a food journal or use an online meal tracking tool such as TheDailyPlate.com that helps record your daily eating habits. Since losing weight can help improve your blood pressures if you are overweight or obese, track your daily diet to figure out how many calories you're consuming every day. If your weight is on target, you'll want to maintain your regular calorie intake; if you're overweight, use your daily totals as a starting point for cutting calories.
Add Potassium
Eating more potassium-rich foods might help lower your blood pressure, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Most Americans don't get enough potassium. Good food sources of potassium include sweet potatoes, tomato paste, white beans, blackstrap molasses, prune juice, halibut and soybeans, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Reduce Sodium
You don't need more than 1,500 to 2,400 milligrams of sodium per day, according to the Mayo Clinic, but most Americans get more than that because there's more sodium in many foods than people realize. If you have high blood pressure, pay special attention to sodium content on nutrition labels and aim to keep your sodium levels on the low end of that range. One easy way to decrease the amount of sodium in your diet is to eat more fresh foods and fewer processed foods, since many processed foods are high in sodium.
Strive for Balance
A balanced diet, full of vegetables and fruits, healthy whole grains, lean meats and low-fat dairy products works well for people who have high blood pressure. Limit your intake of saturated fat and cholesterol, and substitute healthier versions of fatty foods.
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