Beyond the Salt: Diet and Lifestyle Tips to Manage High Blood Pressure

While reducing your salt intake is one of the principal ideas behind the Dietary Approach to Stopping Hypertension (DASH) diet, curbing your sodium isn’t the only change that helps manage your high blood pressure. In fact, there are many other diet and lifestyle changes you can make to keep your blood pressure in check.

Here are some practical tips to help you manage high blood pressure effectively, courtesy of the primary care doctors at Rescue MD in Allen, Texas.

1. Eat more fruits, veggies, and whole grains 

The DASH diet isn’t just about salt. It encourages you to eat fresh fruit, a variety of vegetables, lean protein, and 100% whole grains. These foods are high in potassium, calcium, and magnesium — all of which can help lower blood pressure.

While you’re busy adding these nutrient-dense foods to your daily menu, it’s also important to remove certain foods from your diet. This includes refined and heavily processed foods, sugary sodas, red meat, fried foods, and saturated fats.

2. Eat the recommended serving sizes of foods

Check your portion sizes. Eating the appropriate serving sizes can help you maintain a healthy weight, which can also help you manage hypertension. 

Use smaller plates, read food labels for serving sizes, and avoid going back for seconds. Being mindful of portions can prevent overeating and help you stay within your daily calorie needs.

3. Practice mindful eating

In addition to eating nutrient-dense foods in the recommended serving sizes, mindful eating can help you enjoy your food and lose weight at the same time. 

Mindful eating is about slowing down to savor your food, eating without distractions, and learning to listen to your satiety and hunger cues.

4. Consider adding helpful seasonings to your daily menu

Certain herbs, spices, and seasonings can help lower blood pressure naturally. For example, basil contains eugenol, which acts as a natural calcium channel blocker. Add fresh basil to salads, and sandwiches, or use it as a pesto.

Garlic contains a compound called allicin, which promotes blood vessel relaxation and improves blood flow. Garlic can help reduce your systolic blood pressure by about 7-9 mmHg and your diastolic blood pressure by about 4-6 mmHg. You can eat fresh garlic or take it as a supplement.

Cinnamon helps dilate and relax blood vessels but is more effective when taken consistently for at least 12 weeks. 

Add these into your diet through meals, teas, or supplements. Remember: Don’t start any new supplements without the green light from your PCP first.

5. Exercise regularly 

Regular physical activity helps lower blood pressure and keeps your heart healthy. Exercise helps promote a healthy endothelial lining — the inner wall of your blood vessel — which can help improve blood flow, reduce arterial stiffness, and decrease the risk of plaque buildup. This, in turn, enhances your cardiovascular function and reduces the likelihood of heart disease and stroke.

Log at least 150 minutes of moderate aerobic activity, such as brisk walking or light cycling, or 75 minutes of vigorous activity, such as running each week. Incorporate strength training exercises at least two days a week. 

6. Practice stress management techniques

Chronic stress can contribute to high blood pressure. Find healthy ways to manage stress, such as practicing yoga, meditation, or deep-breathing exercises. Taking time to relax and engage in activities you enjoy — whether that’s knitting, painting, hiking, or biking — also helps reduce stress levels.

7. Limit your alcohol intake

Drinking three or more alcoholic beverages in one sitting can temporarily raise your blood pressure, but consistently drinking too much alcohol can raise your blood pressure in the long term. 

The National Center for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention recommends that men should limit their intake to two drinks per day, and women should limit it to one drink per day. 

Reducing your alcohol consumption doesn’t just affect your blood pressure. It can have several health benefits, too.

Get help for high blood pressure

If you’d like to use diet and lifestyle changes to manage your blood pressure, we can help. Our primary care physicians and weight loss specialists provide effective:

• Medical weight loss
• Custom meal plans from our in-house registered dietitians 
• Personal training
• Chronic disease management 

When needed, our team can prescribe medication to safely lower your blood pressure if lifestyle changes alone aren’t enough. 

For more information on this topic, please reach out to RescueMD at 972-390-7667. We are an internal medicine, weight loss, and women’s health practice serving Allen, Frisco, McKinney, Plano, and Dallas, Texas, and the surrounding areas. In addition to physicians, we have registered dietitians and personal trainers on staff to treat and manage most cases.