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What are the alternatives to blood pressure medication?
1. A number of major scientific studies have convincingly shown that simple dietary
and lifestyle changes can reverse most essential hypertension in a matter of weeks without drugs.
2. A large percentage of people are sensitive to salt and
would benefit from its reduction in their diets. 3.
When the weight goes down, blood pressure levels usually fall. Reducing excess weight is often
the only treatment needed to correct a rising blood pressure.
4. A diet very low in fat yet high in fiber lowers the
blood pressure by about 10% even without weight loss or salt restriction. Reducing the blood's
viscosity--thinning of the blood--, which results from eating less fat, probably produces these
favorable changes. 5. Deleting alcohol from the
diet will lower blood pressure and do the body a favor in several other areas as well.
Physical exercise lowers blood pressure by reducing peripheral
arterial resistance. In addition, regular exercise promotes general health and well-being.
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Reducing Blood Pressure!
- Eat lots of fresh, raw food, both fruits
and vegetables. They need no added salt. They also increase
potassium stores, which helps lower blood pressure.
- Look for unsalted snacks (if you really
need them).
- Undercook vegetables and eat them a bit
crispy. They will require less salt.
- Learn to flavor foods with lemon juice,
parsley, taragon, garlic, or onions instead of salt.
- Take advantage of the excellent
salt-free gourment cookbooks available on the market today.
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People taking blood pressure medications should not play doctor and change doses or stop medicines
on their own. But those who are willing to make healthful lifestyle changes will usually find their
physicians glad to help them eat and exercise their way out of hypertension.
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A Tremendous Step
Become a label reader. By
carefully reading labels, you can select products low in sodium.
Watch for words like "salt", "sodium", and "soda", and avoid product in
which these terms are listed among the first five ingredients.
| FDA's Proposed
Packaging Guidelines (per serving) |
| Sodium-free |
under 5 mg |
| Very Low Sodium |
under 35 mg |
| Low Sodium |
under 140 mg |
| Reduced Sodium |
a 75% decrease |
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Contact
CHIP to learn more.
"Be Healthy by Choice, Not by Chance!". |
