Cut out ready meals
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Salt is like the plague for people who suffer from high blood pressure and although it’s possible to just cut it out completely, it can also be found in lots of everyday foods, making it very difficult to cut out entirely.
Microwavable meals, frozen meals and canned products all contain a high amount of salt. Replacing them with fresh products and cooking your own meals more often could largely help reduce your blood pressure.
Eat meals that are rich in potassium
Leafy green vegetables, beetroot, spinach and Brussel sprouts are all foods that are rich in potassium, a mineral that helps reduce your high blood pressure and does your heart good. It is recommended that you eat 3 portions of vegetables and one portion of protein with every meal in order to have a healthy diet.
Eat chocolate
But before you rush to your chocolate stash, we’re only talking about dark chocolate which has beneficial effects for your heart and is also a good source of magnesium, a mineral which is excellent for your health and improves your neuromuscular transmission, reduces fatigue, helps you sleep better and reduces stress.
You can also take magnesium as a food supplement as Alison Clayshulte, nutritionist at the well-being centre Cambiati based in California, explained.
‘Taking about 300mg of magnesium as a supplement over three months reduced both systolic and diastolic blood pressure readings.’
Reduce stress
You probably already know that stress isn’t good for your blood pressure, but besides needing to reduce all the causes, is there a simple solution that you can work into your daily routine to reduce your stress levels even more?
For example, doing 10 minutes of meditation a day is a very good habit to get into, as stated by Elizabeth Rice, naturopath at the Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine in the United States.
‘Practicing mindfulness meditation and deep breathing are excellent tools for lowering blood pressure.’
As with any health issue, you should always consult your doctor about any concerns you have.
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