What diet changes can I make to help lower my blood pressure?
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Dr. Dean Ornish answered:Excessive salt, sugar, meat, and fat may increase your blood pressure, whereas fruits and vegetables may lower it.
Some people are more sensitive to the effects of diet on their blood pressure than others. If you have high blood pressure, try eating less salt, sugar, meat, and fat and more fruits and vegetables. If that’s enough to lower your blood pressure, great; if not, make even bigger changes. There’s no way to accurately predict who is likely to respond better to reducing salt intake than others, so just try it and see. Also, experiment with spices as replacements for salt.
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Excessive salt, sugar, meat, and fat may increase your blood pressure, whereas fruits and vegetables may lower it. Some people are more sensitive to the effects of diet on their blood pressure than others. If you have high blood pressure, try eating... More -
RealAge answered:Lowering your blood pressure (BP) can be tricky, but with a simple change in diet, you may be able to knock it down a few points and enjoy a healthier lifestyle.
For help with lowering your blood pressure without medication, try to get 20 percent of your daily calories from whole-grain, high-fiber foods instead of refined "white" carbs. It could drop your systolic BP 4 to 8 points and your diastolic BP another 6 to 8 points.
Another bonus of going to a high blood pressure diet is that it can help reduce high cholesterol. Because high blood pressure and high cholesterol often go hand in hand -- and both put you at risk for cardiovascular disease -- eating to control one issue may help you solve the other.
Eating fiber can help. Both soluble and insoluble fiber were shown to lower blood pressure in middle-aged people with the unfortunate combo of borderline high cholesterol and prehypertension. Soluble fiber does double duty by lowering cholesterol, too.Lowering your blood pressure (BP) can be tricky, but with a simple change in diet, you may be able to knock it down a few points and enjoy a healthier lifestyle. For help with lowering your blood pressure without medication, try to get 20... More -
Intermountain Healthcare answered:High blood pressure affects more than one in four Americans. It makes your heart work harder, damages arteries, and increases your heart disease risk. Limiting sodium can help reduce this risk. But you may also be able to improve your blood pressure by adding potassium and calcium to your diet.High blood pressure affects more than one in four Americans. It makes your heart work harder, damages arteries, and increases your heart disease risk. Limiting sodium can help reduce this risk. But you may also be able to improve your blood... More
