Diet For High Blood Pressure

When you have high blood pressure one of the first things that your doctor will ask you about is your diet. Many times changing the diet can have a profound impact on the blood pressure readings. A good diet can often help you lose weight, if you need to, as well as help you lower your blood pressure. For every two pounds that you lose you can lower your blood pressure by one point, which is a good thing! Imagine being able to look and feel better while lowering your blood pressure, it is possible and it can be easier than you might think.

A High Blood Pressure Diet Can Work

If you have been diagnosed with high blood pressure you may want to consider a high blood pressure diet, such as the DASH diet. DASH is an acronym for Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension. This is a great diet if you need to lower your blood pressure and wouldn’t mind losing weight, too. Your goal doesn’t have to be to lose weight on this diet, instead it should be to change your lifestyle for the better that way you can see a drop in your blood pressure.

DASH is not a diet that will leave you hungry, instead it emphasizes on foods that will help to reduce the blood pressure. The diet includes a lot of different foods such as fruits, vegetables, nuts, and low fat dairy products. You should make food choices that are low in saturated fat, total fat, and reduce refined carbohydrates.

Studies of individuals who have followed DASH high blood pressure diet found that after eight weeks they could lower their systolic pressure by 5.5mm. In people who already have high blood pressure there was a significant improvement with there being an 11.6 mm reduction. The best thing about the results of these studies is that people were able to follow them without restricting calories and even people who did not lose weight were able to improve their blood pressure readings.

A high blood pressure diet does not have to be difficult. You simply need to start making better food choices. Sodium is a big factor where high blood pressure is concerned, so just cutting out the salt in your diet can be a big help. Salt is hidden in many places such as in canned or processed foods, and especially in convenience and fast foods. Just limiting or doing away with these things will help you create a high blood pressure diet for yourself that will help you see a huge reduction in your diastolic or systolic blood pressure readings.