Dietary Keys To Reducing High Blood Pressure

Fruits and Juices - Increase consumption of juices, fruits (especially bananas) and whole grain based cereals to counteract high levels of potassium found in other foods and in your body.

Monounsaturated Fats - Increase consumption of products with monounsaturated fats, such as olive oil, in your diet can greatly diminish your risk of high blood pressure and may even eliminate the need to take medication to control the situation.

Potassium Intake - Decrease potassium intake to 2,400 milligrams or less on a daily basis.

Omega-3 Fatty Acids - Increase consumption of omega-3 fatty acids that are commonly found in cold-water fish. These acids are proven to reduce high-blood pressure as well as lower your cholesterol.

Whole Oats - Increase consumption of whole oats help to help control your high blood pressure. Additionally, they also have positive affects on cholesterol and blood sugar levels.

Vitamin C - Increase consumption of products containing Vitamin C to battle high blood pressure. This may mean a daily vitamin supplement or be part of an increased consumption of fruits, such as oranges.

Helpful Blood Pressure Reminders

Have your blood pressure checked by your doctor.

If you have high blood pressure, follow your doctor's advice about changing your diet and lifestyle habits.

If your doctor has prescribed medication for your high blood pressure, it is very important to take it regularly. If you have any new symptoms, call your doctor.

Measure and record your blood pressure at home regularly. This information may be valuable to your doctor in evaluating your condition.

Cooperate. You and your doctor must work together in order to keep your blood pressure and your diabetes under control.

Understanding why high blood pressure is a problem

Generally, normotension (normal blood pressure) is defined as less than 130mmHg for systolic value (SBP) and less than 85mmHg for diastolic value (DBP). The higher the blood pressure, the more load on the blood vessels, and this can damage the vessels. In the worst case, blood vessel walls can develop holes causing internal bleeding. When this happens in the brain, it is called a stroke. In addition, high blood pressure increases the myocardial workload so that the heart must work harder to maintain adequate blood flow to the body. This causes ischemic heart disease (IHD) such as a heart attack (myocardial infarction) and angina. People with hypertension have the increased risk of suffering from of having a stroke. Conversely, It is also known that those with normal blood pressure have a lesser risk of ischemic heart disease (myocardial infarction and angina) and stroke. Thus, it can be concluded that keeping blood pressure within a normal range to prevent these occurrences is of the utmost importance.