Blood pressure is the force of blood against the walls of arteries. Blood pressure rises and falls throughout the day. When blood pressure stays elevated over time, it’s called high blood pressure. The medical term for high blood pressure is hypertension. High blood pressure is dangerous because it makes the heart work too hard and contributes to atherosclerosis.
- Salt shoots your BP so reduce your salt intake and you’ll see a clear difference in your BP levels. It has been observed that most of the salt comes from processed food we eat, so avoid these items and eat as much fresh as you can. Cook for yourself and if you plan to eat out inform the waiter at the restaurant to use less salt.
- Aim for a healthy weight. If you are overweight or obese, carrying this extra weight increases your risk of high blood pressure.
- Increase your physical activity. Do at least 30 minutes of moderate activity, such as walking, most days of the week. You can do 30 minutes in three 10-minute segments.
- Too much of sodium is unhealthy for your body, especially if you have high blood pressure. Simple changes to your food routine are enough to bring down the sodium intake. Increasing your potassium intake will help to suppress the effects of sodium on blood pressure.
- Even one or two cups of fresh ground coffee can raise blood pressure into the unhealthy Stage 1 level. If a person already has Stage 1 Hypertension, coffee usually complicates the problem even further. Caffeine is a stimulant. This causes the heart to beat faster. When the heart beats faster, the blood pressure raises. If you are a person who drinks a lot of caffeine, you may need to taper yourself off of the caffeine to prevent withdrawal symptoms such as headaches.
- The best foods to eat a person with High Blood pressure are unsalted rice cakes, nuts mixed with raisins, graham crackers, fat-free and low-fat yogurt and frozen yogurt, popcorn with no salt or butter added, raw vegetables etc. these foods can help a lot to reduce the blood pressure.
- Garlic is an ingredient which many of us use in cooking everyday without giving its health benefits much thought. It is however extremely successful to reduce blood pressure. It works by reducing the risk of developing atherosclerosis there by reducing the risk of strokes and heart attacks. It also helps the blood to maintain the correct viscosity and keeps the circulatory system healthy.
- High blood pressure is widely attributed to increased stress and anxiety levels which many of us are placed under in our daily lives. An herb called Valerian is a proven remedy which can help in cases of this nature. Valerian calms the nerves and there by helps to reduce the heart rate and quells the feeling of anxiousness. All this put together helps reduce blood pressure. Available in many forms this remedy can be taken as a tea or the more conventional capsule.
