There are many things that you can do to maintain your blood pressure naturally. Becoming more active is one thing that can benefit you in many ways including relieving hypertension. Diet, however, is the easiest and most effective way to begin to control your condition safely and quickly. Simple changes can make a big difference without the need to take extra medication.
Reducing your sodium (Na / salt) intake is one of the most important things in following a hypertension diet. Most people eat far more than the body actually needs each day. The recommended daily allowance amounts to about a teaspoon of salt but the average amount that most Americans eat each day is two to three times that amount. A good, healthy diet should give you the amount needed without the need to sprinkle it on your food but today’s modern packaged foods often contain huge amounts of salt.
For example, the RDA for sodium according to the US is 2,400 mg. Here are the figures of sodium content in some common pantry staples per serving:
Bumble Bee Solid White Albacore Tuna (packed in water) – 250 mg of Na
Manwich sloppy joe sauce – 410 mg of Na
Kraft Original Mac & Cheese dinner – 580 mg of Na
Near East Original Rice Pilaf – 780 mg of sodium
Campbell’s Cream of Chicken condensed soup – 870 mg of sodium
It’s easy to see why sodium levels are so high, isn’t it? However, your body needs this nutrient despite it being a leading cause of why Americans develop hypertension / high blood pressure.
Sodium, of course, is just one nutrient out of the many that the body needs. There are others that we usually do not get enough in our regular diet and can create health issues or contribute to high blood pressure. Visit http://www.bloodpressuresafety.com to learn about how to eat properly for optimal health and how to develop your own hypertension diet plan.
