If you suffer from high blood pressure, the very first thing that you have to change is your diet. When your blood pressure is high, it means that your heart is working very hard to distribute blood all over your body. This can be caused by clogged arteries. Clogged arteries prohibit blood from passing through freely. And so the heart has to push the blood more strongly. This is why high blood pressure arises. Other than prescription medicines, a high blood pressure diet would help a lot in correcting this condition.

And when it comes to creating a high blood pressure diet, there are just two general rules: eat more foods that can help get rid of cholesterol in your blood and eat fewer foods that could pile them up. Your arteries and blood vessels get clogged because of too much fat or cholesterol present in it. You have to get rid of cholesterol to make blood move faster and make your blood pressure normal.

What You Should Take

A high blood pressure diet requires a very healthy diet plan. This means less fats and more fiber, antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals. This is the rule of the thumb when it comes to creating a diet for patients with heart problems. The AHA, or the American Heart Association, recommends a diet composed of 25% total calories from fat, 50% carbohydrates, 15% protein, and 10% fiber. By following this guideline, you should be able to slowly put your cholesterol level and your blood pressure back to normal.

1. Wholegrain
A good high blood pressure diet would contain more than six servings of wholegrain in a given day. Wholegrain, wholegrain products, and other food items such as rye bread, brown rice, muesli, cereals, and oatmeal are perfect for breakfast and snacks. Switch to these foods rather than eating fast food meals and sugary beverages.

2. Vegetables
Everybody knows that vegetables are very nutritious foods. They can help high blood pressure patients a lot in managing their disease too. Vegetables are healthy alternatives to meats and other food items that can otherwise elevate your blood pressure. Legumes work as well too. Add more kidney beans, split peas, and lentils into your daily diet. They are rich sources of fiber, which can dissolve cholesterol in the blood. But more than that, vegetables and legumes have high vitamins and minerals content. And your body needs these for strength and longevity. Include as many as five servings of vegetables per day in your high blood pressure diet.

3. Fruits
How many times do you eat fruits in a day? In this fast-paced world, more and more people are neglecting fruits in their dinner table. But do you know that fruits can help a lot in controlling the pressure of your blood? As many as four servings of fruits in a day are recommended for high blood pressure patients. Fruits are great for snacks, breakfast, and dessert too.

What You Should Avoid

High blood pressure patients are given strict instructions by their doctors when it comes to the types of foods they should avoid. There are certain foods that trigger changes in the way your blood pressure behaves. Of course, if your blood pressure is already high, you should not complicate the matter by taking in more foods that could worsen your condition.

1. Alcohol
Never drink too much alcohol if you know for a fact that you suffer from high blood pressure. Of all types of alcoholic beverages, you should keep clear of beers the most. Beers can drastically raise your blood pressure to the extent that the walls of your blood vessels get damaged. While red wine is believed to be beneficial to the health, experts say that this is only true for people who don't have pre-existing heart conditions.

2. Fatty foods
Fatty foods pertain to all food items that are cooked, prepared, or mixed with fats. Limit your in take of red meat. Switch to lean meat and white meat instead. Animal fats should be avoided at all cost. Don't use saturated fats and trans fats in preparing your meals. Go for the healthier types of oils like canola oil, sunflower oil, soybean oil, olive oil, rice bran oil, and grape seed oil. But just the same, you have to practice moderation when using them.

Create your very own high blood pressure diet by following these guidelines. You can also ask the help of your doctor or a dietician. They should be able to help you construct different combinations of effective but satisfying meals for you to lower your blood pressure.