How To Treat High Or Low Blood Pressure

High Blood Pressure Diet Guidelines

Article by Kathryn Whittaker

It is a well-known fact that heart diseases and excess body weight are related. Obesity, heavy alcohol consumption and lack of activity are the main factors causing high blood pressure. Too much body fat leads to an increased risk of health problems through clogging the blood vessels with cholesterol. That is why the successful treatment of high blood pressure starts with following a diet specifically aimed at reducing high blood pressure.

If you already have high blood pressure, you cannot reverse it to low permanently. Instead, you can control your high blood pressure by taking a prescribed medication and amending your diet. Research has shown that a high blood pressure diet can effectively prevent blood pressure from rising above normal.

Today, most of our meals still contain more fat than the government recommends, and most of the vending machines and fast-food options do not meet the nutritional standards set by the U.S. government. With fast-food snacks available at every corner, it’s often hard to switch to a healthy diet.

High blood pressure diets are designed to decrease sodium, increase potassium, and lessen calories. This way you will maintain a reasonable weight. This diet consists of foods that are delicious and low in fat such as whole grains, fruits, vegetables, low-fat dairy products and lean proteins.

Here are some simple tips to help you follow your high blood pressure diet guidelines:

1. Make sure you eat a healthy breakfast. Eating in the morning will increase your energy and will help you avoid snacks before lunch. A quick breakfast can be as easy as a bowl of cereal, a slice of whole-wheat toast, cereal bar or fresh fruit.

2. When following your high blood pressure diet, your daily food intake must include foods from five food groups:

* Protein: Eat meats that are lower in fat, such as chicken, turkey, tuna, or low-fat luncheon meats. Make salads with a low fat meat or vegetables and light salad dressing.

* Grains: Always try eating a whole wheat version of your favorite bread, be it a loaf, a bagel or a roll.

* Vegetables: Eat tomatoes, peppers, baby carrots and other colorful vegetables as many as you like. The brighter the vegetable, the more antioxidant vitamin A it contains.

* Fruits: Fruits should be eaten fresh. Fruit has fiber and healthy calories, and you will want to eat less during the day. Juice has fructose which fills up with energy. That’s why juice should become a part of a healthy breakfast along with a cereal.

* Dairy: Try low-fat or non-fat milk, non-fat chocolate milk, and low-fat cheese. Basically, any type of cottage cheese or yogurt goes well with fruit.

If you want to avoid facing complicated and often life-threatening consequences of high blood pressure, you may want to ensure that you and your family eat healthy meals that don’t pack on the pounds and rise your cholesterol.

Emphasizing healthy food choices can help you enjoy your meals without excessive fat, sugar, and calories. Healthy food choices can be a carry-over from healthy menu and meal planning at home while managing your high blood pressure with diet.

Switching to a diet without excessive fat and salt and staying fit will help you loose weight and can help prevent or at least delay heart-related problems. Along with monitoring and medication treatment, a high blood pressure diet can help control your blood pressure and reduce your risk of stroke, kidney and heart failure and heart attack.

See your doctor before making any diet or lifestyle changes.

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The Shift In Blood Pressure Guidelines

Article by David Silva

The most recent blood pressure guidelines have adjusted some of the previous high blood pressure numbers and the way they’re interpreted. If your readings are coming in higher than 140 mm Hg systolic and/or higher than 90 mm Hg diastolic, you’re now considered to have hypertension.

Treatment is designed to get your numbers below these levels. In fact, if you’ve got diabetes or chronic kidney disease, treatment should reduce the numbers below 130 mm systolic and less than 80 mm diastolic.

Those with a systolic reading of 120 to 139 mm Hg or a diastolic reading of 80 to 89 mm Hg are now considered to be pre-hypertensive. Unlike the common approach of the past, for those who are pre-hypertensive, the guidelines suggest making lifestyle changes to help prevent hypertension and the potential of cardiovascular disease.

Here are some of the suggestions for changing your lifestyle:

Avoid A Sedentary Lifestyle

Many people with high blood pressure benefit from raising their fitness levels. Increased activity often helps to bring elevated blood pressure readings back to a more acceptable range. Also keep in mind that the best time to exercise is in the morning.

Manage Your Stress

Stress can be affected by a number of factors and situations. Since each of us reacts differently to stress factors, it’s worthwhile identifying those factors within your own lifestyle and developing strategies to either minimize or eliminate them.

Control Alcohol Consumption

Reducing your alcohol consumption can help lower your blood pressure. While alcohol in small quantities can be beneficial, in excess it can increase the stress on your heart and organs, resulting in an elevation of your blood pressure.

Eat Properly

Diet also plays a significant role in the new guidelines. You’ll want to avoid foods high in fat, salt, and dairy products. When reduced in your diet, these food groups have been shown to have a positive effect on reducing your blood pressure. In addition, if you’re overweight, dropping those extra pounds might very well be the best thing you can do for your blood pressure health.

Alternative Choices

While any efforts you make to control your blood pressure should be approved by your physician, studies have shown that some alternative choices can be helpful. For instance, herbs containing L-arginine, which is an amino acid, have been shown to be effective. You might want to look into onions and garlic, which can also aid in your pursuit of good heart health.

New Drugs

Also helpful in reducing high blood pressure are diuretics, commonly referred to as water pills. These encourage the kidneys to remove excess water from the blood. This, in turn, reduces the pressure on the heart. Not only have they proven to be an effective form of treatment, they come with almost no side effects.

Then there are calcium channel blockers. These drugs interrupt the absorption of calcium in the muscles surrounding the blood vessels. This relaxes the vessels and reduces the pressure throughout your circulation system.

Conclusion

High blood pressure is quickly becoming one of the biggest health concerns in the country. By taking a few of the steps listed above you can dramatically reduce your readings and your chances for heart attacks, heart failure, strokes and kidney disease. A little effort can go a long way.