Cebu Province - Normal blood pressure is one of the significant indicators that our body is healthy. If our blood pressure is elevated and left unchecked, this could harm our heart and can be fatal. Thus, we should be monitoring our blood pressure levels from time to time. We all know that exercise is one of the ways to be healthy but to lower our blood pressure if it is high also takes self-discipline to changing our old eating habits. Here are some few tips on how to lower our blood pressure through nutrition.
Cut down on fat-rich foods. If you are used to eating a lot of fat-rich food items in your diet, you might want to cut that down and focus on having a Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet. A DASH diet is specifically designed for people who have a high blood pressure. This type of diet mainly composes of green leafy vegetable, fruits beans and nuts. It also includes low-fat protein.
Establish and maintain a food diary. To closely monitor your daily intake, it is also advisable to have a food diary. It is good to write down what you eat, when do you usually eat that kind of food and why do you eat that. It helps you understand your eating habits, and this could also be a basis for you on what to improve and adjust your eating routine.
Reduce salt intake. Another way to help lower your blood pressure is to lessen your sodium consumption. According to studies, it is believed that excess sodium increases blood pressure because it holds excess fluid in the body which creates an added burden on your heart. The tolerable amount for an individual to consume sodium is no more than 2, 300 mg a day therefore you should consider the amount of sodium before ingesting.
Increase your potassium consumption. In addition to decreasing your sodium levels in your body, boosting your potassium intake can also help. The more potassium you consume, the more sodium you lose through urine. Potassium also helps to ease tension in your blood vessel walls that raises your blood pressure level.
Do not drink alcoholic beverages. If drinking of alcohol is part of your lifestyle, you need to think that alcohol can do harm to your health in all aspects.
Our health is our wealth. If we want to be healthy, we should be responsible and open to changing our habits and lifestyle for the better. The bottom line of this is that we should be disciplining ourselves to achieve our goals. // ND II Jocefel O. Callet, RND
Resources:
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/high-blood-pressure/in-depth/high-blood-pressure/art-20046974
