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Reducing High Blood Pressure
How your diet can affect it

Close to 25 per cent of the adult population has high blood pressure, also known as hypertension. Two-thirds of these people have a mild rise that can some-times be brought under control by making life-style changes. Have you checked with your doctor to see what your blood pressure is?

When your blood pressure is within the normal range, your chances of having a stroke, heart disease, kidney and eye damage are all decreased. If you are on blood pressure medi-cations, it may be possible to reduce the dos-age you need by making positive lifestyle changes. Your body weight, exercise, alcohol intake, food and smoking habits can all alter your blood pressure.

Maintain a Healthy Body Weight

Losing weight, if you need to, is a proven way to reduce high blood pressure. Overweight peo-ple have two to six times higher risk of develop-ing hypertension than people who are average weight. As well, 60 per cent of people with hypertension are more than 20 per cent over-weight. A weight loss of 10 pounds can help reduce high blood pressure.

Start by eating lower fat foods, smaller serv-ings and limiting rich desserts and high fat snack foods. Shape up with an active lifestyle and regular exercise such as walking.

Be Active. Exercise Regularly

People who are inactive have a 20 to 50 per cent greater chance of developing hypertension than their more fit and active peers. Exercise also makes you feel better and assists with weight loss. Experts are finding that low to moderate intensity exercise is most effective in improving blood pressure. The more active you are in your daily life, the better off you are.

Small changes can make big differences. Take the stairs. Park further away. Garden or vac-uum with more vigour. Aim for at least 30 min-utes of walking, bicycling, dancing or other moderate exercise every day. Start exercising slowly and increase the intensity and frequency gradually. Keep track on a calendar to monitor your progress. It is a good idea to check with your doctor before getting started with a rigor-ous exercise program.

Limit Alcohol

Too much alcohol raises blood pressure. For most adults, moderate alcohol use means no more than one drink a day and no more than seven drinks a week. One drink means 12 ounces of beer (5 per cent alcohol), 5 ounces of wine (11-14 per cent alcohol), or 1-1/2 ounces hard liquor (40 per cent alcohol). Alcohol binges are associated with an increased risk of stroke.

Shake the Salt Habit

Cutting down on salt can make a difference in the blood pressure of some people. The blood pressure of 20 to 50 per cent of adults will drop with a lower salt intake. The most sensitive people are those who are older, black, or over-weight and already hypertensive. The only way to tell who is salt sensitive is to try a lower salt diet.

The average salt intake of Canadians is 6 to 12 grams per day while the recommended intake is less than 6 grams per day. About one-quarter to one-half of this is hidden in processed food, one-third comes directly from the salt shaker and the rest occurs naturally in the food we eat. It is a good idea for everyone to cut back on salt. Try using only a little salt in cooking and none at the table.

It takes about six weeks to readjust your taste buds to the natural food flavours. Flavour foods with lemon, vinegar, pepper, herbs and salt free seasonings.

Eat Foods High in Potassium, Calcium and Magnesium

A diet with enough potassium, calcium and magnesium may help decrease the effect of salt on blood pressure. Take note, however, that no benefits have been shown by using supplements of these minerals.

Foods highest in potassium are potatoes, cantaloupe, honeydew, oranges, bananas, plums, prunes, broccoli, brussel sprouts, swiss chard, baked beans, kidney beans, lima beans, and lentils.

It is also important to have enough calcium in your diet. The best food sources are low fat milk, cheese, yogurt, and dark green leafy veg-etables. Magnesium food sources are whole grains, legumes, nuts, seeds, chocolate, green vegeta-bles, avocados, and bananas.

If You Smoke, Quit

Smoking is still the number one risk factor for heart disease. Among those with high blood pressure, smokers have more heart disease and strokes than non-smokers. Each cigarette smoked increases your blood pressure for about a half hour. Talk to your doctor about try-ing the pill, patch or using nicotine gum to help you kick the habit. Many programs are available to help you. It is not easy to quit but it can make a huge difference to your health.

What about?...........

• Caffeine constricts your blood vessels and can make your blood pressure rise briefly. Most people develop a tolerance to the level of caf-feine in their diet so there are not any lasting effects on blood pressure. If you choose to drink caffeine containing drinks, it is recom-mended to limit use to four servings a day. Caf-feine is found in coffee, tea, cola and chocolate.
• Black licorice raises blood pressure. It is recommended that you avoid candy, herbal tea and preparations made from black licorice.
• Herbal remedies are seeing a huge rise in popularity. Beware! some herbs will raise blood pressure. Comfrey in large doses is toxic to the liver. Ginseng and joint fir have been shown to increase blood pressure in animal studies. Some people have the mistaken idea that all natural products are safe. This is simply not true. Many commonly used herbs can be toxic and the effects of others are just not known. Remember that many of our most potent drugs come from natural plant sources.
• There is no guarantee of purity, safety or quantity of active ingredient in any herbal preparation. Trying to heal yourself with herbs can be a risky business.
• Garlic and onion have not improved blood pressure in controlled studies. Use them instead of salt for their wonderful flavour.

Lifestyle changes give you the chance to improve your health. It is important to make gradual, permanent changes in the way you live, eat and move. See the difference for yourself in the next three to six months.