Even a small rise in your blood pressure level should not be taken lightly. If neglected, it could aggravate into heart disease and other coronary arterial ailments that could be hard to treat.
It is best if you can nip it in the bud, and start to follow healthy practices that may help you avert any serious threats to your body as you age. There are some things that you need to instigate and some things that you need to eschew, and further other steps that you need to habituate to lead a normal life with a normal blood pressure.
Lifestyle Changes To Prevent High Blood Pressure
1. Reduce Alcohol Consumption: Although consuming alcohol in moderate levels is recommended, refrain from becoming a binge boozer. Excess alcohol is known to raise blood pressure level; it also has calories that add to your weight, a deadly combination of evils. In case you cannot do without it, you can have a maximum of 1 or 2 glasses per day.
2. Cut Cigarettes Completely: It is not proven that cigarettes raises the blood pressure but the nicotine in cigarettes injures the blood vessels by hardening it, making it difficult for the blood to flow and act an as accomplice to factors that does raise blood pressure.
3. Physical Activity: Physical activity is the best way to resume blood flow in the body. It not only reduces your risk of blood pressure but also the risk of heart attacks.
4. Check And Maintain Weight: Don’t let your waist to waste. Try to maintain optimum BMI levels as excess weight puts you at risk to high blood pressure and heart conditions. Just losing a meager 10 pounds reduces your risk by a huge margin.
5. Bust your Stress: Stress adds to your blood pressure. Take part in yoga or take up a hobby to steer clear of stress.
Eat These Foods To Prevent High Blood Pressure
1. Skim Milk: The calcium and Vitamin D present in skimmed milk lowers the blood pressure level.
2. Spinach: It is the best green leafy vegetable that is heart healthy. It consists of potassium, magnesium and folate, each of which fights rising blood pressure and heart diseases.
3. Sunflower Seeds: Prefer the unsalted ones.
4. All kinds of Beans: Kidney, green, black, pinto, etc are the kinds of beans that offer protection against blood pressure rise. It consists of potassium, magnesium and soluble fibers that make it suitable to be included in the diet.
5. Bananas: It is abundant in potassium.
6. Soybeans: Abundant in potassium and magnesium it is easy to make and digest.
7. Dark Chocolate: Just one square of dark chocolate reduces your blood pressure in 18 weeks (as per a research).
8. Baked Potato: Abundant in potassium and magnesium, it wards off the excess sodium in the body.
9. Fish: They are high in protein, omega 3 fatty acids and low in other fat content. It keeps the blood pressure normal by protecting the blood vessels and disallowing inflammations.
10. Flaxseeds: Just like fish even flaxseeds are rich in omega 3 fatty acids.
11. Olive Oil: If you are diagnosed with high blood pressure substitute your regular cooking oil with olive oil due to its good effects on blood lipids.
12. Cucumber: It is the best diuretic that hydrates and lowers the arterial pressure.
13. Celery Juice: This idea is from the Chinese and is time tested. Also celery is known for its benefits against gout and arthritis.
14. Apple Cider Vinegar: Drink this solution first thing every morning. Its alkaline characteristics reduce the blood pressure.
15. Green Tea: If you are in the habit of consuming coffee oft tea, switch them for green tea
Avoid These Foods To Prevent High Blood Pressure
1. Salt (Sodium): The sodium in common salt is responsible for many a heart conditions and other chronic conditions. Cut down on sodium intake or stop it all together if possible.
2. Sugar: You can replace sugar with honey, as surplus sugar gets stored as fats in the body.
3. Alcohol: As mentioned earlier cut down on alcohol consumption.
4. Caffeine: Switch coffee or tea with green tea.