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Are You Eating Foods That Lower Blood Pressure?

by: PaulJohnson
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If you have high blood pressure then you need to pay attention to the food and drinks your body consumes. Certain things should be avoided if you want to keep your blood pressure down.

Drinking alcohol occasionally may not be detrimental to blood pressure, but drinking it a lot is. Alcohol has been known to have a detrimental effect on your blood pressure, and can raise it. High blood pressure damages the walls of your blood vessels, which in turn elevates your blood pressure even more. If you drink excessively, this can cause serious blood vessel difficulties and make your high blood pressure even more difficult to treat.

In addition, you can increase complications with your blood pressure if you drink excessively. Studies have shown that drinking a small amount of alcohol can have a protective effect on your heart, but larger amounts can actually be detrimental. Check with your doctor to find out whether or not you should have alcohol in your diet. If advised, you may even be told to cut it out of your diet entirely.

Salt is another thing you should cut out of your diet if you have high blood pressure. Too much salt can increase blood pressure and make your problems worse. Some people don't have a problem with salt consumption and it doesn't do anything to their blood pressure.

If you have high blood pressure already you should not consume salt. Regardless of your blood pressure status, too much salt is bad for the heart no matter what. You should reduce your levels of sodium or find salt substitutes.

Saturated fats, too, are bad for your blood vessels and your heart when consumed excessively. If you eat a lot of fats, especially saturated or trans fats, they can raise your cholesterol levels and damage your circulatory system. Your diet should have only modest amounts of these types of fats. Limit your consumption of processed foods such as cakes, fried foods, fast foods, and simple sugars. Meats do contain some saturated fat, but can be consumed in moderation. Concentrate on fish and chicken as meat sources.

Your circulatory system is already under a lot of stress and high fatty foods can be dangerous to your body. You should also consider the dairy products you consume. Dairy products are high in fat. You should eat low or no fat dairy products if you have a problem removing dairy from your diet.

If you have high blood pressure and want to help lower it with your diet, make sure you eat plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables, as well as fish. Fruits and vegetables contain optimal amounts of potassium, which can help balance sodium and lower blood pressure. In addition, fish, too, can help lower blood pressure.

If you have high blood pressure, the food you eat is very important. If you eat a lot of high fat or highly salted food, this can cause your blood pressure to go off without your even being aware of it. Eat foods low in salt and saturated fat, and avoid excess alcohol consumption. All of this can be very damaging to your blood vessels, which in turn can raise your blood pressure. By contrast, a good diet can also significantly lower your blood pressure.

About the Author

Paul Johnson, the author, writes often on topics such as Foods That Lower Blood Pressure. For more great articles and videos, take a few seconds to visit Blood Pressure - FYI

Are You Eating Foods That Lower Blood Pressure?

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