How To: Manage high blood pressure through diet

Sometimes pills aren't the best answer. Doctors do not need to prescribe medications for common health problems, such as high blood pressure. They can be helped by simple adjusting your lifestyle. If you have high blood pressure, you are more than twice as likely to develop heart disease and six times more likely to have a stroke than people with normal blood pressure. Manage your condition through diet.

You Will Need
* Foods low in saturated fat
* Fruits and vegetables
* Low-salt foods
* Moderate alcohol consumption
* Doctor (optional)

Never change your diet without first consulting your physician.

Step 1: Eat less saturated fat
Eat less saturated fat. If you are used to eating a diet high in fat, reducing your fat and cholesterol intake will reduce your blood pressure.

Step 2: Keep your weight under control
Count calories and keep your weight in check. Putting on extra pounds tends to raise blood pressure.

Step 3: Eat more produce
Eat more produce. Fruits and vegetables contain potassium, a mineral that appears to lower blood pressure.

Step 4: Reduce your salt intake
Reduce your salt intake if your blood pressure responds to salt in your diet. About 58 percent of people with high blood pressure are salt-sensitive.

If you are not sure whether you are salt-sensitive, consult your doctor about trying a low-salt diet to see if your pressure drops.

Step 5: Drink in moderation
Drink alcohol in moderation. Although studies have shown that one alcoholic drink a day can lower your blood pressure, drinking excessively will raise it.

Over the course of an average life span, the human heart beats about 2½ billion times without stopping.