Treating Hypertension with Healthy Eating Habits and Exercise

Hypertension, also know as high blood pressure , is one of the leading causes of cardiovascular death in the United States. If your health care provider has ever told you your blood pressure is slightly elevated it is very important to try and lower it first without medicine. Any reading above 120/80 is high normal and needs to be addressed.

Here are some ways to treat high blood pressure without medicine:

• Focus on healthy eating habits
• The DASH diet is the best to lower blood pressure, it’s based on the Mediterranean diet.
• Eating less sodium is critical.
  • Shoot for 1800mg or less a day.
  • Limit canned soup and lunch meat as they are high in sodium.  

• You want a diet high in fresh fruits, fresh vegetables , beans and nuts.
• Get rid of white bread products and switch to whole wheat, whole grain breads and pastas. Lean meats like turkey and chicken are okay in moderation as is red wine. 

**Here are some great suggestions from our Pinterest Board “Healthy Eats”

 

 

• Exercise more
  • You want to increase your exercise to 5-6 days a week for at least 30 minutes.
    • Take a walk before or after work around the neighborhood or a favorite place. This is good for the mind as well as the body.
    • Jump on the treadmill at your gym
    • Take the stairs during a break a work, up and down for 30 minutes.
    • Swimming is a great option for anyone but great for folks with arthritis.

A healthy diet and regular exercise can lower your blood pressure by 10 points on the top(systolic) and 8 points on the bottom(diastolic) in 2-3 months if you stick to it.

**Post by Dr. Siedlecki**