Eat your way to a lower blood pressure
A varity of eating strategy can help you loweryour blood pressure. What you eat affects your cholesterol. No surprise there. But here's something you may not be aware of : What you eat can also affects your blood pressure.
Fewer calories.......
If you tip the scales over what's deemed healthy, losing a few pounds could also lower your blood pressure. Taking off 4.5 to 5.4 kg your weight will lower systolic blood pressure by more than 4 points and diastolic pressure by almost 4 points. Cutting back what you eat by 100 calories a day translated into a 4.5 kg loss over the corse of a year. More weight lossusually translates into more reduction in blood pressure.
Less salt......
People with hight blood pressure who cut out about three-quarters of a tea-spoon of salt a day can lower their systolic blood pressure by 5 points and diastolic blood pressure by almost 3 points.
More potassium.........
Potassium does the opposite of sodium (salt)- it helps lower blood pressure. The best way to get potassium is from food, mostly fruits and vegetables. Beets, beans, raisins, sweet potatoes, spinach, and bananas are brimming with potassium. Pills are not nearly as good, they give you just potassium and it's easy to overdo them.
Stop alcohol........
A little bit of alcohol seems to be good for the heart. A lot is bad for blood pressure. If you drink it, don't overdo.
__________
This article is taken from the source : Premium Health News Service/TMSI,"sunday star" 13 Aug 2006.
Fewer calories.......
If you tip the scales over what's deemed healthy, losing a few pounds could also lower your blood pressure. Taking off 4.5 to 5.4 kg your weight will lower systolic blood pressure by more than 4 points and diastolic pressure by almost 4 points. Cutting back what you eat by 100 calories a day translated into a 4.5 kg loss over the corse of a year. More weight lossusually translates into more reduction in blood pressure.
Less salt......
People with hight blood pressure who cut out about three-quarters of a tea-spoon of salt a day can lower their systolic blood pressure by 5 points and diastolic blood pressure by almost 3 points.
More potassium.........
Potassium does the opposite of sodium (salt)- it helps lower blood pressure. The best way to get potassium is from food, mostly fruits and vegetables. Beets, beans, raisins, sweet potatoes, spinach, and bananas are brimming with potassium. Pills are not nearly as good, they give you just potassium and it's easy to overdo them.
Stop alcohol........
A little bit of alcohol seems to be good for the heart. A lot is bad for blood pressure. If you drink it, don't overdo.
__________
This article is taken from the source : Premium Health News Service/TMSI,"sunday star" 13 Aug 2006.
posted by Tiknan Tasmaun at
5:58 PM
