How To Lower Blood Pressure Naturally

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Blood Pressure is the amount of force exerted on your arteries as blood moves through them. High blood pressure or Hypertension occurs when this force is too high and can lead to serious health problems. Blood pressure is affected by your genes, age, diet and lifestyle. Whilst we can't do much about our genes or our age (not at the moment, anyhow), we can do something about our diet and lifestyle.

Methods you can employ to lower blood pressure naturally are:

DIET

INCREASE Fruit and vegetable intake - have at least 5 to 9 portions a day. Fruit & veg is nutrient rich and contains potassium which can reduce the effects of sodium on blood pressure. Aim for different types of fruit and Veg and select ones with deep colours.

INCREASE fish intake - 2 - 3 servings of oily fish per week. Alternatively you can take fish oil supplements.

INCREASE Whole foods (unprocessed foods). Avoid fast foods and frozen dinners. Such 'processed' food is usually high in salt and low in nutrients. Rice pasta and flour should be whole meal. Eat Nuts and Legumes.

REDUCE fats - In particular saturated fats and trans-fats. Try to reduce intake of fatty meat, cheese, full cream milk, fried food, butter. Use low fat mono / polyunsaturated spreads instead. If you fry, use olive oil, rapeseed or sunflower oil. Any meat should be as lean as possible.

REDUCE Sugar intake. Refined sugar found in cakes, cookies, soft drinks, ice cream, etc can contribute to obesity, diabetes and high blood pressure. Avoid refined table sugar and high fructose corn syrup.

REDUCE salt intake. We should have no more than 5-6 g of salt per day, but most people have more than this. Try using herbs and spices to flavour food instead of salt. Avoid processed foods, frozen dinners, cured meats and choose foods labeled with 'no added salt'. Also reduce the amount of salt you use in cooking.

ALCOHOL

Drink only in moderation. Men should limit their intake to no more than 21 units per week and 4 or less units per day. Women should limit their alcohol intake to no more than 14 units per week and 3 or less units per day.

EXERCISE

Exercise is an efficient way to reduce blood pressure, as physical activity improves the strength of the heart. The stronger your heart is, the less effort it uses to pump blood. With your heart working less to pump, there is less force on your arteries, lowering your blood pressure. Where possible try to do some physical activity on at least 5 days of the week, lasting for at least 30 minutes. Examples are brisk walking, dancing, cycling, swimming, Wii Fit.

SMOKING

Whilst smoking does not directly affect your blood pressure level, it does add to health risks if you already have high blood pressure. If you have difficulty giving up, see your doctor.

STRESS

When we are stressed, our body releases cortisol. Extended high levels of this hormone can increase our blood pressure and weight. Stress relieving activities include Yoga or meditation.

SUPPLEMENTS

Supplementation with nutritional or herbal supplements can have a pronounced affect on reducing blood pressure. Examples of well known blood pressure supplements are garlic and Coenzyme Q10. Please check my range of supplements for lowering blood pressure naturally. Some people are fortunate enough to be able to use supplements only, without having to follow the above steps in order to acquire a healthy blood pressure.
Summary

As you can see, for people looking for information on how to lower blood pressure naturally, there are a number of options.