Diet for High Blood Pressure

Changing the way you eat isn't necessarily an easy thing to do but if you have been diagnosed with high blood pressure, it could save your life. At the age of 42 I was diagnosed with high blood pressure and since I don't like to take prescribed medications, I decided to monitor my own blood pressure and change my eating habits.

If a new eating plan is in the cards, you have lots of old habits to break and lots of new ones to make. Start by cutting the things you can LIVE without like fatty meats, salt, and alcohol. Then gradually add some low fat high fiber foods like beans, lean chicken breasts, and oatmeal!

Take your time. Learn to enjoy new foods. Don't feel like you're giving up all your favorite foods for the rest of your life...just get your medical situation under control by taking the warnings serious. Then you can enjoy, in moderation, all the foods you love the most.

Here are some eating changes I made to help lower my blood pressure (and my bad cholesterol):

1. Beans and Oatmeal. Beans are good for your heart. So try to include beans or peas in your meals at least a few times each week. I like to buy the dry beans and cook them at home as opposed to canned beans. That way I control the flavor and what goes in to the pot while eliminating all that extra salt in the canned beans. I thought I didn't like oatmeal but actually it was the type of oatmeal I had eaten that I didn't like. The standard type of oatmeal (in the U.S. anyway) is rolled oats which is a steamed flattened oat product. To me, it was just too mushy. So I started eating Steel Cut Oats. Fabulous! They take longer to cook but the taste is better and they are nutty with a great texture. I eat Steel Cut Oats every morning now and love them. You can get them at any health food store or larger grocer in your area.