According to the Mayo Clinic, high blood pressure, also called hypertension, is an increased amount of pressure along the arterial walls as your heart pumps blood. If there's an increased resistance from the accumulation of plaque within the blood vessels, or your arteries have narrowed and hardened, you can see an increase in your blood pressure. This places you at a greater risk of heart disease, heart attack, heart failure and even stroke. While there are a number of medications that can improve your blood pressure, you may actually be able to treat your condition by supplementing your diet with potassium.
Step 1
Increase your intake of dietary potassium. This means finding natural sources of this nutrient from the foods you eat, recommends both the American Heart Association and the Mayo Clinic. Turn to sweet potatoes, potatoes, spinach, peas, mushrooms, tomatoes, bananas, apricots, prunes, melons and citrus fruits, like oranges and grapefruits. You can also find potassium in fruit juices, tuna, halibut and dairy, such as milk and yogurt.
Step 2
Track your potassium intake. Keeping a food journal is really the best way of tracking the amount of potassium in your diet. The American Heart Association sets the milligrams of potassium for the average adult at 4,700 to improve hypertension.
Step 3
Reduce your sodium intake. You still need to watch your sodium intake when you're trying to lower your blood pressure with potassium. It won't do you as much good if you don't make this change. The Mayo Clinic recommends keeping your sodium intake under 1,500 mg per day while suffering from high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes and other cardiovascular issues.
Step 4
Watch your fat intake. The American Heart Association also recommends watching your fat intake when suffering from hypertension. Total fat should make up no more than 25 to 35 percent of your total calories. Saturated fat is much lower, so aim for less than 7 percent of your total calories each day. Trans-fatty acid, also known as trans fat, should really be eliminated, but it can make up no more than 1 percent of your caloric intake.
Step 5
Note your daily cholesterol intake. Besides sodium and fat, you also need to watch your cholesterol intake while using potassium to lower your blood pressure. In cases of high blood pressure, heart disease and other health issues, keep dietary cholesterol to fewer than 200 mg.
Step 6
Increase your fiber intake. The American Heart Association established 10 to 25 grams per day as the appropriate intake of fiber to help lower blood pressure.
Step 7
Maintain the appropriate amount of protein in your diet. According to the American Heart Association, your diet should be made up of 15 percent protein while using potassium to improve hypertension.
Step 8
Invest in a dietary supplement. You may also need to supplement other vitamins and minerals in your diet while trying to lower your blood pressure without medications. Talk to your doctor about the supplements that are right for you and your condition.
Tips and Warnings
- To help you determine the amount of fat you can consume, you need to know that 1 g. of fat is equal to 9 calories. So, if you're looking to keep your total fat to under 25 to 35 percent of your calories, use the following equations: (calories x 0.25) / 9 and (calories x 0.35) / 9. The equation for saturated fat looks something like this: (calories x 0.07) / 9. And trans-fatty acid is calculated like this: (calories x 0.01) / 9. Soluble fiber is found in apples, oranges, legumes, carrots, peas, oatmeal, bran and barley.
