HOW TO CONTROL HYPERTENSION

         Some Facts...

• Calories and body weight go hand in hand. Excess body fat leads to an increased risk of health problems.
• Potassium has an important role in blood pressure treatment.
• Low calcium intake may increase risk of hypertension.
• Excessive sodium intake is linked with high blood pressure or hypertension in some people.
• Dietary recommendations suggest avoiding too much sodium. The suggested range is 1,100 to 3,300 mg per day.
• Table salt is 40 percent sodium. One teaspoon has about 2,000 mg sodium.

A blood pressure reading provides two measures, systolic pressure and diastolic pressure, High blood pressure is often called the “silent killer” because it has no symtoms and can go undetected for years. It is important to have your blood pressure Table 1 below shows how to classify blood pressure readings.

Table 1: Know Your Numbers.
	SYSTOLIC (MM HG)		DIASTOLIC (MM HG)
Normal	<120	and	<80
Prehypertension	120 – 139	or	80 – 89
HYPERTENSION
Stage 1	140 – 159	or	90 – 99
Stage 2	≥160	or	≤100
Based on two readings taken 5 minutes apart with a confirmation reading in the contralateral arm.

checked regularly.

Hypertension cannot be cured, but it can be controlled through lifestyle changes and prescriptive medication. While medications to treat hypertension are available, research has shown that modest lifestyle and dietary changes can help treat and often delay or prevent high blood pressure.

Here are some shopping tips you can use to help you lower your sodium:

Take the time to read labels of convenience or packaged meals that you buy regularly for salt content. Remember that a reasonable goal is to keep your total sodium intake to less than 3,000 mg/day, (lower for some people depending upon health issues).
 

  Convenience meals (like frozen dinners) often contain HUGE amounts of sodium in a single serving. Many of them of over 800 mg in a single serving! This is similar to the sodium content of a fast food hamburger - both are poor choices when it comes to sodium. Look for frozen dinners that have a lower sodium content, closer to 500-600 mg or less.
 

Instead of buying completely prepared dinners, try making meals from box mixes that have seasoning packets that you have to add - that's where a lot of the sodium is. Instead of adding the entire seasoning packet, add half. This is one easy way to continue to enjoy the convenience of these meals without all the salt!
 

When you cook with recipes that require condensed canned soup, but the "healthy" versions that contain less salt. Add a little salt yourself if you have to, but you'll still be better off by starting with the no salt or reduced salt version of these very salty products. 
Reducing salt, along with eating foods that are high in potassium, magnesium (like fresh fruits and vegetables) and calcium can really have a positive impact on those blood pressure numbers and unlike blood pressure medication, there are no side effects!

Finally, if you want expert help lowering your blood pressure, without the use of drugs, try PersonalDiets today.