Diet And High Blood Pressure

So, your doctor has told you that you have high blood pressure. Are you doomed to a lifetime of medication? Not necessarily. There are some things you can try with diet and exercise that may help you overcome the high blood pressure.

First, if you are overweight, every 10 pound reduction can lower blood-pressure by 5-20 points. Second, reducing sodium intake for salt sensitive people was shown to reduce blood pressure 2-8 points. Third, limiting your alcohol consumption to two glasses for men and one glass for women (and light weighted individuals) can lower blood-pressure by 2-4 points. Cutting caffeine can also make a difference.

The "Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension" (also known as DASH) project funded by the National Institutes of Health demonstrated that people who adhered to this diet, which is rich in potassium and calcium and limits fat and sodium, were able to reduce blood pressure 8-14 points within just 8 weeks. If you are interested, you can download a copy here.
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