For those who suffer from high blood pressure (hypertension), they will know what a serious effect it can have on their health. However, what many who are first diagnosed with this health condition do not realize is that they can actually control it if they are willing to make alterations to their lifestyles. Today there is plenty of advice about how to control this condition and in this article we take a look at the kind of diet for hypertension a sufferer of this problem should be following.
Just because you suffer from hypertension and need to alter your diet to help control your blood pressure levels doesn’t mean that you need to eat meals that are boring. Instead what you will need to do is actually make small changes to your meals and there are certain simple steps you must follow.
Step 1 – You need to make sure that you reduce the amount of salt (sodium) in your diet. This will soon help to get your blood pressure levels back on a more even keel. If you can, eliminate any salty or smoked foods from your diet as well as hard cheeses. In addition, rather than using salt to season food, use herbs, lemon or vinegar instead.
Step 2 – Make sure that you include foods in your diet for hypertension that are rich in potassium. This will help to actually bring the levels of sodium (salt) in your body to a more normal amount. So make sure that you include lots of fresh fruits and vegetables in your diet, especially green peas or beans and spinach.
Step 3 – The next thing to do to help you have control over high blood pressure is to reduce the amount of saturated fats that you consume. These are the kinds of fats that are derived from animals such as you find in meat and eggs. However you should actually be increasing the amount of fats that contain Omega-3 or oleic acid in them. Such fats can be found in fish and olive oil. The great thing about including olive oil in your diet for hypertension is that it not only helps your body to maintain the right level of blood pressure but also protects the arteries through which the blood flows.
Step 4 – It is important that if you do suffer from hypertension (high blood pressure) that you reduce the amount of caffeine and alcohol you consume. Both of these contain ingredients that exacerbate the situation because they contain properties that increase stress levels in the body. However it is perfectly acceptable for a person to drink a small glass of red wine each day if they wish.
Step 5 – Finally as part of your diet for hypertension you must make sure that you increase the amount of magnesium and calcium that you consume. You can of course take supplements but the easiest way to increase your consumption of these is by eating more dark green vegetables such as lettuce, spinach and kale.
Julie has been writing articles online for nearly 4 years now. She also publishes reviews of various consumer products. Come visit her latest websites that review Deadbeat Superaffiliate by Dan Brock and Micro Niche Profit Automation by Mick Moore.
