Maintaining a good blood pressure is important but to some people achieving the right numbers is quite hard. In getting a good blood pressure, constant monitoring of blood pressure is necessary to get the right numbers.
In getting blood pressure, there are two numbers, the number on is the systolic pressure while the number on the bottom is diastolic pressure. Most doctors consider 120/80 the normal rate of blood pressure. Getting a rate beyond those numbers is considered high blood pressure while getting lower than those rates is considered low blood pressure.
Generally, several factors affect the rate. Some of the factors that may affect the rate are:
- Posture
- Exercise
- Foods
- Stress
- Nicotine use
These factors are just some factors that may increase your blood pressure. To be able to know if you have high blood pressure, it is important that you get several reading throughout the day. One reading per day may not show if you are really have high blood pressure.
Keep a journal and write the blood pressure that you got during the day. Your physician will decide if you have high blood pressure depending on the following:
Blood Pressure Levels
Classification Blood pressure levels
Systolic Diastolic
Normal <120 <80
Pre hypertension 120 80 – 89
Stage 1 Hypertension 140 – 159 90 – 99
Stage 2 hypertension 160 100
Your health care provider will decide if you have hypertension based on the several readings each day. If you belong in the pre hypertension group, your physician will recommend you to have diet changes to avoid further health problems. Likewise, if you belong in the hypertension group, your health care provider will prescribe medications and diet changes to normalize your blood pressure. In addition, having a regular exercise regimen can also aid in normalizing your blood pressure.
Foods for Good Blood Pressure
Diet change is needed for those who have high blood pressure. Part of diet change is some foods to include in the diet and some foods to avoid.
Some of the foods to avoid in your diet may include:
- Fish is the healthiest choice of food to have a good blood pressure. It has high protein and low fat. It is rich in omega-3-fatty acids with other nutrients, decreases inflammation and prevents high blood pressure.
- Celery juice is very beneficial for those who have good blood pressure. Just 2 to 3 glasses a day for a month can normalize high blood pressure. Likewise, celery juice can also prevent arthritis and gout.
- Olive oil is also very beneficial since it has good effects on blood lipids and lower blood pressure. Olive oil is recommended for use on cooking and on salads.
Meanwhile some Foods to avoid if you have high blood pressure are:
- Alcohol should be avoided by people who have high blood pressure since it can dramatically increase the blood pressure. Intake of alcohol can also make the treatment much harder.
- Salt can aggravate any existing blood pressure problems. If you want to have good blood pressure, minimizing your salt intake is recommended. Limiting your sodium intake will also benefit your kidneys.
