High blood pressure, also known as hypertension, is a disease that affects one out of every three Americans, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). As many woman as men are affected by this silent disease, and with heart disease being the number one cause of death among women, it’s imperative to take your blood pressure seriously. As we visit our doctors looking for a “cure” it’s important to remember that your diet can positively affect your health, reducing high blood pressure. A few daily changes can make the difference, steeling your heart against the effects of high blood pressure damage.
High blood pressure is damaging to the body in several ways. First the heart has to work harder to pump the blood, eventually enlarging the heart over time. High blood pressure can literally damage the arterial walls of the heart, contributing to atherosclerosis and increasing the risk of stroke and heart disease.
Here a just a few of the dietary and lifestyle modifications you can make to lower your blood pressure.
The “DASH” Diet The “DASH diet” is an acronym for “Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension” emphasizing eating fish, chicken, (limiting red meats) low-sugar and low carbohydrate foods, nuts, low-fat dairy, fruits and veggies as the main portion of your diet. The DASH diet can help many people lower their blood pressure by reducing sodium intake and raising potassium, magnesium and calcium intake. Adding good proteins such as; fish, poultry, beans or tofu and good fats like; olive oil, canola oil or nuts, can reduce blood pressure, raise HDL cholesterol and lower triglycerides.
By choosing fresh fruits and vegetables, lean proteins and low-fat dairy you can significantly reduce your sodium intake and increase your potassium levels. Sodium and potassium work to balance each other in the cells and too much or too little of either is a problem. Potassium influences muscles contraction, like your heart, works within the nervous system and balances your pH. Sodium helps to move potassium, water and electrolytes into and out of the cell and helps muscles contract (2). A recent study in the Annual Review of Nutrition states “High sodium chloride (salt) intake strongly predisposes to hypertension. High intakes of potassium, polyunsaturated fatty acids, and protein, along with exercise and possibly vitamin D, may reduce blood pressure.”(1)
Reduce or limit sodium intake. The average human needs 180-500 mg of sodium a day to survive with an upper limit of 1,500 mg a day. The CDC estimates the average American ingests 3,436 mg of sodium a day (4). Too much sodium in the body leads to retention of fluids (the bloating after too many chips or salty margaritas!). These fluids specifically accumulate in the blood, raising blood pressure. Processed foods, ones that come in cans, boxes or bags, and incidental foods like milk and bread can contain significant amounts of sodium. Reducing processed foods can reduce your salt intake and your blood pressure.
Achieving and maintaining a healthy body weight. Making sure your weight is appropriate for your height is one of the best ways to lower blood pressure (3). Having too much weight causes the body to work harder. There are a number of studies showing the positive correlations between even a 10 pound weight loss and a reduction in high blood pressure.
These modifications, along with low blood pressure recommendations like limiting alcohol consumption, going easy on dietary supplements and regular exercise, can improve your blood pressure. The more recommendations you apply to your life the more success you will have in reducing your blood pressure. For example, following the DASH diet and reducing your sodium levels together will have a bigger effect in lowering your blood pressure than just applying one or the other. Pair your favorite suggestions; you can just feel your heart relax!
1. Annual Review of Nutrition. 2010 Aug 21.The Effect of Nutrition on Blood Pressure. Savica V, Bellinghieri G, Kopple JD. Source; Units of Nephrology and Dialysis, Papardo Hospital, University of Messina, 98168 Messina, Italy. 2. Grooper, Sareen S., Advanced Nutrition and Human Metabolism. Copyright 2009 Wadsworth, CengageLearning 3. http://www.cdc.gov/bloodpressure/about.htm 4. http://www.cdc.gov/Features/dsSodium/