Based on the amount of sodium in most Americans’ diets, nearly all of us have to watch out for high blood pressure.
About 90% of Americans consume more sodium than is recommended for a healthy diet, according to a study from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC). This increases the risk for high blood pressure, which can lead to heart disease or stroke.
Frequent walks are a healthy strategy. (Photo: Flickr/Mike Baird)
Sodium – a main component in salt – is prevalent in processed foods and many dishes prepared in restaurants. To help lower your risk, try these small dietary changes recommended by Dr. German, a physician and expert on JustAnswer.
1. Walk at least 3 times a week. You could get yourself a watch that allows you to see how many miles you are walking until you can walk 2-3 miles a day.
2. Avoid alcohol. If there is a party or an event where there is alcohol, drink in moderation.
3. Stop smoking. Smoking damages your blood vessels’ internal lining tissue, hardening them.
4. Read the labels. When you eat something read the food label, so you can know how much sodium that product has. Your sodium ingestion should be less that 1,500 mg a day.
5. Try dietary supplements. You can get natural supplements that will help to lower your blood pressure levels, like garlic tablets. You can get them in your local pharmacy, like Walgreens. Other supplements that also help are Coenzyme Q 10 and Omega-3 fatty acids.
6. Eat more salad. Prepare yourself a really good salad with lettuce and tomatoes; do not use Caesar dressing. Season it with lemon juice, a small quantity of salt and olive oil. Eat the salad before you eat your main dish; you will feel more full and hopefully eat less.
7. Don’t eat late. Try not eating after 6 pm or at nighttime, as your metabolism is slower and can make you gain extra pounds.
8. Incorporate whole grains to your diet. For example , use whole-grain bread for a sandwich. For pasta dish, use whole-grain pasta.
9. Watch your calorie intake. You could do a list of everything you eat in one day. Perhaps try to cut calories by at least 500 calories. With this you will begin to lose weight. Use this tool to count your calories.
10. Eat a lot of fruits and vegetables. Avoid fatty, processed foods or high-carbohydrate foods.
11. Drink water. At least 8 glasses per day. Avoid drinking juices or sodas, as they have a lot of sugar.
“Soon you will see how these few steps can help you to lose weight, feel better about yourself, improve your health, and regulate your blood pressure levels,” said Dr. German.
If you want to talk right now with a doctor or nurse about health concerns, click here.
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{ 12 comments… read them below or add one }
Rescue a senior dog to love and to give love in return…the best medicine for lowering blood pressure!
The Grey Muzzle Organization
You are so right I have 2 rescue dogs, my blood pressure that has always been high is much better and when I get upset or depressed a few doggie kisses bring me out of it!!!
Well on the point of blood pressure there is no real proof that sodium increases blood pressure by any significant amount. I use 4 things to keep my blood pressure normal, 1, consume more high quality calcium, 2, exercise a bit, 3 eat veggies, green fodder
4, salt my food to taste.
I remember when one drink of alcohol a day was recommended by the "smart people." If you don't like the list, above, wait around awhile and it will change.
Or….democrats will pass laws forcing our diet into congruence with the above.
Democrat party = Fascists.
I switched to a plant-based diet, and was able to stop taking BP meds, now have 128/82 BP.
I struggled with high blood pressure for years and tried eliminating salt and caffeine and exercising more.. Nothing helped except one thing – adequate sleep. Try it!.
I find that having close access to a nearby gym — and their treadmills in particular — makes it easy for me to walk 2+ miles at least four days a week, usually more. But the trick I found to make it fun is to load your ipod — mine is an older shuffle model that holds only 200 songs — with a variety of up-tempo music, and then to strictly maintain the exact tempo of each song. About every fourth song on my ipod is a Sousa march, which kicks me up to a walking speed of 3.5 mph. Some jazz forces me to walk at 3.7-3.9 mph. I never drop below 3.1 mph and I do pretty well for a 74-year-old who weighs an eighth of a ton and who has a mechanical mitral valve.
I have taken bp meds. For about 12years now. When I quit taking Benadryl every nite for sleep, bp became normal.
These are all steps which will certainly improve your BP.
Let me add two more for your consideration.
Try your very best to practice meditation, select an approach which appeals to you and practice, practice, practice.
Try your very best to avoid watching or listening to national/international news! Local news should be annoyance enough.
To any and all who say a pet (dog, espc.) is good for one's blood pressure and well-being should meet my 8 mo. old American Eskimo, "TAI ONE ON". I'm a 'bi-lateral bk amputee" who is capable of walking unassisted on two prosthetics. Thankfully, I've barely missed her "jaws of death" on countless occasions. I WILL say I do plenty of "running" staying ahead of her while trying to make it to the car. She is possessed…NO DOUBT about it. She'd have made a good understudy for Linda Blair in the "EXORCIST"! Who'da thought something SO tiny could growl four octaves below low C?! Once in the car, I check my pulse; if my heart is racing I lay it off to my short bursts of speed down the back stairs and around the pool. If I feel endangered, I will run OVER the water instead of around it. I don't even get my socks wet.
I try to avoid salt, period! I walk every weekday. my blood pressure is fantastic – as is all my annual lab work,
You didn't mention relaxing as one of the main criteria for reducing high blooid pressure. I have followed all the above-mentioned steps for many years but still haave high blood pressure. My problem is, I am lazy about just relaxing. I prefer to be on the go. Even when I sit, I have to remember to relax. Restt both my mind and my body