High blood pressure is a common condition, affecting more than a quarter of adults in the UK. If you have high blood pressure, it’s important to take action to lower it, as if not controlled properly it can lead to serious health problems like heart attacks and strokes. People with high blood pressure are advised to make healthy lifestyle changes in order to improve the condition, but as it usually comes without symptoms it’s easy to forget you have it and abandon your healthy routine. As we enter 2019, Keith White at supplements maker Higher Nature offers three New Year’s resolutions to help lead a healthier lifestyle and reduce your blood pressure.
Increase your intake of these foods
Try to up your intake of fruit and vegetables, oily fish and wholegrains, and replace biscuits and crisps with nuts and seeds.
Fruit and veg provide potassium, which helps maintain healthy blood pressure. It does this by balancing out the negative effects of salt in the body which it helps the kidneys to flush out.
Green leafy vegetables like spinach, wholegrains, nuts and seeds are good sources of magnesium, which help the blood vessels to relax.
This allows the blood to flow through the veins and arteries easily, releasing pressure on bloodflow to the major organs.
Oily fish like mackerel and sardines, meanwhile, contain healthy omega 3 fats which too can help lower blood pressure. Omega 3 is also found in nuts and seeds such as walnuts and flax seeds.
“People with high blood pressure should try to up their intake of fruit and vegetables, snack on nuts and seeds instead of biscuits and crisps and eat a couple of portions of oily fish a week,” said White.
Decrease your intake of these foods
Cut down on salt and foods which are high in salt and saturated fat, such as processed and junk foods.
Cutting down on salt is very important for people with high blood pressure, as the sodium found in salt is one of the most common causes of high blood pressure.
The high saturated fat and calorie content of processed foods can also lead to weight gain, which is associated with a greater risk of developing high blood pressure.
Get out and exercise
As well as eating a healthy, balanced diet, exercise is also extremely beneficial if you need to lower your blood pressure.
Aerobic exercise helps keep off excess weight and also promotes a healthy heart. Muscle strength helps regulate blood pressure and maintain a healthy weight.
Try to go for regular 30-minute walks, regular swimming sessions or sign up for a badminton or dance class.
Choosing an activity that appeals and finding a friend to go with will help keep you motivated to keep fit.