Beating high blood pressure with food

Hypertension is the ultimate stealth condition. You'd never know you have it without having your blood pressure measured — or until high blood pressure begins to damage vital organs.

Half of the 65 million American adults with high blood pressure don't have it under control. That's worrisome given the insidious consequences of high blood pressure. It is the leading cause of stroke in the United States. It contributes to thousands of heart attacks. It overworks heart muscle, leading to heart failure. It damages the kidneys, erodes sight, interferes with memory, puts a damper on sexual activity, and steals years of life.

Blood pressure categories
	Systolic		Diastolic
Normal (optimal)	<120	and	<80
Elevated	120-129	and	<80
Stage 1 Hypertension Stage 2 Hypertension	130-139 ≥140	or or

Drugs that lower blood pressure tend to work well. But they don't necessarily attack the cause of the problem. And no matter how safe they are, all drugs can have some unwanted or unintended side effects.

A healthful diet is an effective first-line defense for preventing high blood pressure. It is an excellent initial treatment when blood pressure creeps into the unhealthy zone, and a perfect partner for medications. Unfortunately, translating the dietary strategies tested in clinical trials into diets for daily life hasn't been easy.

Here's evidence-based advice about diet and blood pressure, :

• Eat more fish, nuts, and legumes (beans).
• Try to burn at least as many calories each day as you take in.
• Turn to vegetables and fruits instead of sugary or salty snacks and desserts.
• Select breads, pasta, and other carbohydrate-rich foods that are made from whole grains instead of highly refined white flour.
• Eat fruit instead of drinking fruit juice.
• Use unsaturated fats like olive, canola, soybean, peanut, corn, or safflower oils instead of butter, coconut oil, or palm-kernel oil.
• Rely on fresh or frozen foods instead of canned and processed foods.
• Choose low-sodium foods whenever possible; use herbs, spices, vinegar, and other low-sodium flavorings instead of salt.
• Decrease your caloric intake if you need to lose weight.
• If you need help, record everything that you eat day by day for a week. Have this information reviewed by a dietitian.

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