Best Tips For Creating A Diet For High Blood Pressure

Consume More Potassium

Creating a diet isn't all about cutting food out of one's life. It's also about making sure to get more essential nutrients. For individuals with high blood pressure, potassium is a vital nutrient. This electrolyte affects an individual's metabolic balance, and the reason it's so important to managing hypertension is because it lessens sodium's effects. As individuals eat more potassium, they lose more sodium through urine. Sodium narrows blood vessels and increases fluid retention, so lowering it is important to blood pressure management.

On top of this, potassium eases tension in the blood vessel walls. When the blood vessels relax, they can widen, allowing for further lowering of blood pressure. If individuals have blood pressure higher than 120/80, but are otherwise healthy, increasing potassium is a good idea. If individuals take certain medications or have kidney disease, potassium might be more harmful than helpful. Patients should always talk to their doctor about nutritional decisions that could adversely affect their health.