Diets
for High Blood Pressure and Your Heart
Are you following a heart healthy diet already?
Simply reducing calories, eating less fat, or
cutting down on salt is not enough! Getting
the right balance of other key nutrients in your
diet can make a real difference. Your
PersonalDiets™
diet
plan will give you the right balance of important
nutrients for controlling blood pressure and for
losing weight (if needed) so that you get the
healthy results you need. We consider your
individual health factors and make it part of your
plan.
The First
15 - Good News
Being
overweight is a definite risk for high blood
pressure, but the good news is that losing the first
10-15 pounds has the greatest effect upon risk
factors like high blood pressure, high blood sugar
and high blood cholesterol.
When you follow your
PersonalDiets™
meal plan, you'll be
increasing potassium and calcium and reducing sodium
while you reach your weight goal. When you reduce
calories, important minerals that play a role in
controlling blood pressure are reduced as well, so
we emphasize foods that contain these important
nutrients and make recommendations for getting the
right amounts of these key foods that play a role in
keeping blood pressure within healthy limits.
Is your blood pressure greater
than 120/80?
There are some important New Guidelines for high blood pressure.
In May 2003, the National
Heart Lung and Blood Institutes issued new guidelines for managing and
treating high blood pressure (hypertension). This expert panel targets
those with blood pressure in the "prehypertension" range because
new evidence shows that risk of cardiovascular disease begins at lower
levels of blood pressure than was once thought. Now, those with blood
pressure greater than 120/80 (either number above this level) and below
140/90 are considered prehypertensive and are encouraged to make major
lifestyle changes to reduce their risk of developing high blood pressure
and cardiovascular disease.
Lifestyle changes
you should make are:
1. If
you are overweight
Lose Weight (Review my diets sample
for those with high
blood pressure, high cholesterol,
diabetes, and more )
2. Eat a diet rich
in potassium and calcium & lower in sodium
3. Maintain regular physical activity (see
Moving More™)
4. Drinking alcohol in moderation (2 or less drinks per day)
A Vital
Force
Blood Pressure is the natural force exerted by the blood against the
walls of the arteries. It is expressed by two numbers and measured
in millimeters of mercury( mm/Hg) i.e. 120/80 mm/Hg. The top
number (systolic blood pressure, SBP) represents the force of the blood
when the heart pumps it; the bottom number (diastolic blood pressure,
DBP) is the residual force of the blood when the heart is at
rest. Blood pressure varies throughout the day. High blood
pressure, or hypertension , occurs when it remains at or above 140/90.
There are usually no clear symptoms associated with high blood pressure.
It, too, is a silent risk factor for heart disease. It is very
easy to detect with a special cuff.
An optimal blood pressure has been identified as a systolic of less than
120 (in mm Hg) and diastolic less then 80 (in mm Hg), typically written
as 120/80. Hypertension, or high blood pressure, is identified as a
systolic of 140 or greater OR a diastolic of 90 or greater.
Don't wait until it's too late!
Get expert help lowering your blood pressure
today!
Large Numbers
One out of 4 Americans,
about 50-60 million, have high blood pressure. African Americans and the
elderly have proportionately higher blood pressure than whites and the
young. About half the population in the U.S. has hypertension by
age 74. For a small percentage of those, high blood pressure is
due to kidney problems or narrowing of the aorta, the main artery
leading away from the heart, or to tumors of the adrenal glands.
For 95% of people with high blood pressure the causes of hypertension
are not known: it is called primary or "essential" hypertension.
Increased Risks
High blood pressure is one of the MAJOR risk factors for heart
disease & stroke.
FREE Diet Sample & Diet Analysis
