Natural Ways to Lower Blood Pressure: Diet & Exercise Advice

Question
Hello! Could you give me some advice as to how to control blood pressure through diet and exercise? I had a doctor visit today with blood pressure that was borderline high. I know to eat a lot of fruits and vegetables; try to limit sodium intake; have started eating oatmeal and adding  more beans to our meals.... I'm looking for any other advice as to what I could be doing to avoid needing medication, and to hopefully begin lowering my blood pressure quickly. In the past, I have been fit and average weight, but feel I could still benefit from advice. Thanks! - Michelle

Answer
Hi Michelle,

The DASH diet (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension)has been shown to effectively lower blood pressure.

You can get information about DASH here:

http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/public/heart/hbp/dash/

or use the following URL to go directly to a PDF document with complete diet guidelines:

http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/public/heart/hbp/dash/new_dash.pdf

There is another good (but briefer) outline of the DASH diet here:

http://www.cspinet.org/nah/dash.htm

Also, remember that regular physical activity can help keep your blood pressure within a healthy range, so make sure you are doing something active every day!

Hope that helps!

Karen
www.getfitwithkaren.com