How to Prevent Hypertension
Eat plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables., Choose whole grains., Lower your salt intake., Find healthy proteins., Drink eight to ten 8-ounce glasses of water daily., Eat more foods containing potassium., Avoid sugar.
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Eat plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables.
Fresh produce generally has a low calorie density, meaning you can eat a lot of them and fill up without ingesting too many calories.
Have four to five servings of vegetables each day.
One serving is 1 cup of leafy greens, ½ cup of cooked veggies, or 6 ounces of vegetable juice.
In addition, eat four to five servings of fruit a day.
Fresh produce is always best, but you can also have frozen fruit and veggies or even dried fruit (just watch for added sugar).
Try veggie chips instead of regular potato chips.
You can make your own at home with just a baking sheet and a little olive oil.
Kale chips are an excellent choice, and much cheaper to make yourself than to purchase.
Add fresh fruit to your oatmeal or cereal in the mornings.
Or make a smoothie with frozen fruit and yogurt or milk.
If you have more time to cook, try an omelet with your favorite sliced veggies.
Double the amount of vegetables in recipes for soups, salads, and casseroles. -
Step 2: Choose whole grains.
White flour is basically sugar when digested.
Instead of white bread and pasta, choose whole grain versions made with wheat, oats, brown rice, barley or rye.
Whole grains offer nutrients that aren’t found in most fruits and vegetables, and eating three servings daily can substantially reduce your risk of heart disease.Try brown or wild rice instead of white rice.
It’s better for you and adds a lot of flavor.
Choose whole-grain cereals for breakfast, or switch to oatmeal some days.Read packages to look for foods with a whole grain as the first ingredient, or at least 8 g of whole grain content per serving.Cooking pasta al dente is a better health option as it takes longer to digest and functions as a good source of fiber in the diet., Eating too much sodium can cause high blood pressure and damage arteries.
You should have no more than 2,300 mg of sodium a day.Buy fresh meats instead of packaged ones, like lunch meat.
These typically have a lot of added sodium.
Choose plain frozen vegetables instead of those with sauces or seasonings, and add your own flavors when you cook them.
When eating out, request dishes to be prepared without added salt. , Choose skinless chicken or turkey and ground beef that is at least 90% lean.
Seafood and fish are great choices for protein, often easy to prepare, and leaner than meats.
Vegans should include legumes, peas, nuts and seeds in their diet for adequate protein intake, and vegetarians can eat more eggs, too.
Try quinoa in soups, tossed with vegetables or in salads.Make sure you prepare them in healthy ways, too, like grilling, poaching, baking or roasting, instead of frying in oil.One serving of meat is 3 to 4 ounces, and you should have two or less each day.Red meat is ok to eat on occasion, but not everyday.
Skinless poultry or fish are less fatty and generally healthier for people with hypertension. , Dehydration can contribute to hypertension because it makes the body retain sodium.Drinking plenty of fluids also helps flush toxins from the body.
Drink more than this if you live in a hot climate and when you exercise.
The amount of water each person needs is very individual.
Elderly people generally need less than eight glasses a day, while overweight people need more water to help digestion and flushing toxins.
Add one extra glass for each 25 lbs over your ideal body weight.Drink when you are thirsty and drink until you are not anymore, and you are probably getting enough.
Increase your water intake gradually if you do not currently drink much.
This will prevent placing high stress on your kidneys.
When exercising, you need more.
Drink 2 cups of fluid two hours before exercising, and water every 15 minutes while exercising. , The DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) diet recommends getting 150% more potassium than the typical American diet.
Potassium is naturally found in potatoes, sun-dried tomatoes, kidney beans, bananas, avocadoes, fish, and milk.Eating five servings of fruits and vegetables a day will provide enough potassium to help lower your blood pressure.
Avoid potassium supplements if you have kidney disease or take blood pressure medicines.
Increasing your potassium intake sharply could be harmful in these cases, so ask your doctor for advice on how to add more to your diet naturally and safely. , One tablespoon of sugar or jam and 8 ounces of sugary beverage both count as one serving.
Don’t have more than five servings per week.Start reading packages to look for added sugars and choose regular versions of snacks instead of low-fat versions, which often have even more sugar to make up for less taste.
Drink flavored sparkling water instead of soda.
There are many brands and flavors available and often they are calorie-free.
Or, add some fresh fruit, herbs, and/or vegetables to regular drinking water to make it more fun.
Mint and cucumber taste great together, as do watermelon and basil.
Eat fruit with a spoonful of whipped cream for dessert instead of ice cream or pies.
The natural sugar in fruit is much better for you and digests slower in your body.
This is also an easy way to increase your intake of fresh produce, but make sure to leave skins on since they contain most of the plant’s fiber.
There are 56 different names for sugars used in lists of ingredients (including dextrose, lactose, malt, sucrose, sorbitol, cane juice, rice syrup, molasses maple syrup, corn syrup, and glucose).
If one is the first ingredient, or more than one type of sugar is included, choose something else.
Manufacturers used various names to hide the total amount of sugar used so that it isn’t the first ingredient listed. -
Step 3: Lower your salt intake.
-
Step 4: Find healthy proteins.
-
Step 5: Drink eight to ten 8-ounce glasses of water daily.
-
Step 6: Eat more foods containing potassium.
-
Step 7: Avoid sugar.
Detailed Guide
Fresh produce generally has a low calorie density, meaning you can eat a lot of them and fill up without ingesting too many calories.
Have four to five servings of vegetables each day.
One serving is 1 cup of leafy greens, ½ cup of cooked veggies, or 6 ounces of vegetable juice.
In addition, eat four to five servings of fruit a day.
Fresh produce is always best, but you can also have frozen fruit and veggies or even dried fruit (just watch for added sugar).
Try veggie chips instead of regular potato chips.
You can make your own at home with just a baking sheet and a little olive oil.
Kale chips are an excellent choice, and much cheaper to make yourself than to purchase.
Add fresh fruit to your oatmeal or cereal in the mornings.
Or make a smoothie with frozen fruit and yogurt or milk.
If you have more time to cook, try an omelet with your favorite sliced veggies.
Double the amount of vegetables in recipes for soups, salads, and casseroles.
White flour is basically sugar when digested.
Instead of white bread and pasta, choose whole grain versions made with wheat, oats, brown rice, barley or rye.
Whole grains offer nutrients that aren’t found in most fruits and vegetables, and eating three servings daily can substantially reduce your risk of heart disease.Try brown or wild rice instead of white rice.
It’s better for you and adds a lot of flavor.
Choose whole-grain cereals for breakfast, or switch to oatmeal some days.Read packages to look for foods with a whole grain as the first ingredient, or at least 8 g of whole grain content per serving.Cooking pasta al dente is a better health option as it takes longer to digest and functions as a good source of fiber in the diet., Eating too much sodium can cause high blood pressure and damage arteries.
You should have no more than 2,300 mg of sodium a day.Buy fresh meats instead of packaged ones, like lunch meat.
These typically have a lot of added sodium.
Choose plain frozen vegetables instead of those with sauces or seasonings, and add your own flavors when you cook them.
When eating out, request dishes to be prepared without added salt. , Choose skinless chicken or turkey and ground beef that is at least 90% lean.
Seafood and fish are great choices for protein, often easy to prepare, and leaner than meats.
Vegans should include legumes, peas, nuts and seeds in their diet for adequate protein intake, and vegetarians can eat more eggs, too.
Try quinoa in soups, tossed with vegetables or in salads.Make sure you prepare them in healthy ways, too, like grilling, poaching, baking or roasting, instead of frying in oil.One serving of meat is 3 to 4 ounces, and you should have two or less each day.Red meat is ok to eat on occasion, but not everyday.
Skinless poultry or fish are less fatty and generally healthier for people with hypertension. , Dehydration can contribute to hypertension because it makes the body retain sodium.Drinking plenty of fluids also helps flush toxins from the body.
Drink more than this if you live in a hot climate and when you exercise.
The amount of water each person needs is very individual.
Elderly people generally need less than eight glasses a day, while overweight people need more water to help digestion and flushing toxins.
Add one extra glass for each 25 lbs over your ideal body weight.Drink when you are thirsty and drink until you are not anymore, and you are probably getting enough.
Increase your water intake gradually if you do not currently drink much.
This will prevent placing high stress on your kidneys.
When exercising, you need more.
Drink 2 cups of fluid two hours before exercising, and water every 15 minutes while exercising. , The DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) diet recommends getting 150% more potassium than the typical American diet.
Potassium is naturally found in potatoes, sun-dried tomatoes, kidney beans, bananas, avocadoes, fish, and milk.Eating five servings of fruits and vegetables a day will provide enough potassium to help lower your blood pressure.
Avoid potassium supplements if you have kidney disease or take blood pressure medicines.
Increasing your potassium intake sharply could be harmful in these cases, so ask your doctor for advice on how to add more to your diet naturally and safely. , One tablespoon of sugar or jam and 8 ounces of sugary beverage both count as one serving.
Don’t have more than five servings per week.Start reading packages to look for added sugars and choose regular versions of snacks instead of low-fat versions, which often have even more sugar to make up for less taste.
Drink flavored sparkling water instead of soda.
There are many brands and flavors available and often they are calorie-free.
Or, add some fresh fruit, herbs, and/or vegetables to regular drinking water to make it more fun.
Mint and cucumber taste great together, as do watermelon and basil.
Eat fruit with a spoonful of whipped cream for dessert instead of ice cream or pies.
The natural sugar in fruit is much better for you and digests slower in your body.
This is also an easy way to increase your intake of fresh produce, but make sure to leave skins on since they contain most of the plant’s fiber.
There are 56 different names for sugars used in lists of ingredients (including dextrose, lactose, malt, sucrose, sorbitol, cane juice, rice syrup, molasses maple syrup, corn syrup, and glucose).
If one is the first ingredient, or more than one type of sugar is included, choose something else.
Manufacturers used various names to hide the total amount of sugar used so that it isn’t the first ingredient listed.
About the Author
Susan White
Writer and educator with a focus on practical hobbies knowledge.
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