High Blood Pressure? Lower It With Food

High blood pressure affects over thirty percent of American adults.

It is a major risk factor for heart disease, stroke, congestive heart failure, and kidney disease.

It was also listed as a primary or contributing cause of death for 326,000 Americans in 2006.

In 2010, HBP cost the United States $76.6 billion in health care services, medications, and missed days of work.

If you are concerned about the possibility that you, or someone you care for, may have hypertension go and talk to the most knowledgeable person available, your doctor.

All blood pressure levels above 120/80 mmHg increase your risk for the health problems related to blood pressure. A level of 140/90 mmHg or higher is considered high for most adults. If you have diabetes or chronic kidney disease, a pressure of 130/80 mmHg or higher is considered high.

If you have normal pressure, it is important to take steps to prevent HBP. Healthy lifestyle habits can help you maintain normal pressure.

If you already have HBP, you can take steps to prevent the long-term problems it can cause. Adopt healthy lifestyle habits and follow the treatment plan your doctor prescribes.

It is extremely important to teach your children and teens to follow a healthy lifestyle to prevent future problems with this deadly health problem.

The following section lists steps you can take and foods to eat to control your pressure if you already have hypertension.

If your blood pressure is still healthy then these suggestions will help you to prevent HBP in the future.

Controlling Your Pressure

When our blood vessels become clogged due to a plaque buildup of cholesterol and fat, our hearts must work twice as hard to pump enough blood to our vital organs. Our liver also gets overworked and congested trying to filter toxins from the blood supply. This causes our blood pressure to surge.

As the pressure increases inside of our arteries, veins and capillaries, our hearts become even more overworked.

Over time, our hearts grow larger in an effort to compensate for the extra workload and eventually they become weaker.

When you add obesity, smoking, or diabetes to the mix, the risk of heart attack, stroke or kidney disease for those with HBP increases dramatically. This is why it is important to know what your blood pressure is and work hard to keep it under control.

Follow these suggestions to combat high blood pressure:

1. Exercise: Studies show sedentary lifestyles lead to hypertension, but exercise can reduce it.
2. Lower your sodium intake: Canned foods, snack foods, fast foods and other prepared foods are loaded with sodium. It is much better to prepare your own low-sodium meals. You may also consider using some salt substitutes (with approval by your doctor) or various herbs and seasonings that may add to the taste without excess salt.
3. Say "No" to smoking and excessive alcohol consumption: While drinking in moderation doesn't seem to have much of an impact on your heart, having more than three drinks a day may contribute to HBP.

   Nicotine, one of thousands of chemicals found in cigarettes, causes the blood vessels to constrict. This narrowing of the vessels increases pressure.

4. Stay hydrated: Drink plenty of water. Keep some fresh lemons on hand and add the juice of one-half of a lemon to your water twice daily. This helps to detox your liver and provides you with important nutrients such as vitamin C, potassium, and many more.



5. Eat more foods that are high in potassium: Foods that are high in potassium include citrus fruits, bananas, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, beet greens, yogurt, prune juice, soy beans, lima beans and spinach.

   Try to include some of these foods in your diet daily. The real thing is always better for your body than supplements. Do not take potassium supplements without first discussing it with your doctor.

6. Foods high in calcium lower pressure: Foods high in calcium will help lower both systolic and diastolic blood pressure numbers. Once again choose foods high in calcium, before adding supplements. If you already have HBP you will want to discuss any calcium supplementation with your doctor.
7. Magnesium is also a very important mineral to include in your diet: It also plays an important role in maintaining muscle and nerve function, heart rhythm, immune health and bone strength.

   According to the National Institute of Health's Office of Dietary Supplements, people with diets high in fruits and vegetables containing magnesium have lower blood pressure.

   Foods high in magnesium include halibut, almonds, cashews, soy beans, spinach and other greens, squash, broccoli, cucumbers, celery, shredded wheat and wheat bran, peanuts and a variety of seeds including pumpkin, sunflower,flax and sesame. Also dried peas and beans are excellent high fiber sources that are inexpensive.

8. Consume plenty of omega 3 fats: Fish sources of omega-3 fatty acids include salmon, albacore tuna, herring, mackerel, anchovies, lake trout and sea bass. Read the omega 3 fats article for more sources. An excellent diet plan to follow to increase your intake of omega 3 fats is the Mediterranean diet.
9. Aloe vera juice helps with blood pressure because it dilates capillaries and enhances circulation: Aloe vera has vitamin C which has been shown to help lower pressure, according to the Linus Pauling Institute. Aloe vera is believed to strengthen veins and arteries, having the ability to regulate blood pressure.

   Be aware that the aloe vera plant is part of the lily family and some people may have an allergic reaction. Side effects from aloe ingestion may include abdominal cramping and diarrhea.

   For detailed information about aloe vera, it's many uses, and how to purchase it, be sure to checkout aloe-vera-guide.com.

   Be sure to consult with your doctor before taking aloe vera juice if you're being treated for HBP.

10. Foods high in lycopene: This includes tomatoes, guava, watermelon, apricots, pink grapefruit, and papaya.
11. Complex carbohydrates instead of white breads and processed grains: These would include high fiber whole grains such as whole oatmeal, oat bran, barley, and wheat.
12. Consume garlic and other members of the allium family: In a variety of tests, garlic and onions (members of the allium family) have been shown to reduce cholesterol, hypertension and, as a bonus, the incidence of flu.

Actually if you simply added the healthy liver guidelines to your daily life you would see improvement in your overall health, including blood pressure, weight, and much more.

Also, don't underestimate the benefits of daily physical activity and even meditation in lowering your blood pressure and your stress level, which can contribute greatly to improving HBP.

A big bonus to making these changes in your lifestyle to improve your blood pressure is that all of these tips for controlling HBP also benefit other forms of heart disease!

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