High blood pressure results from a number of factors, as you may know. One is probably one of the most common which is STRESS. I know, because I feel my blood pressure rising when I am stressed out. I have to take a beta blocker pill to lower my blood pressure. Other causes come from arteries having fat around the walls, being overweight, taking excessive smoking and drinking alcohol, lack of exercise, having too much salt in the diet causing water retention in the body and your genetic makeup.

In this post I will cover the basic foods and supplements to take to lower your blood pressure and become normal again. The root cause is the diet and lifestyle which can be controlled with following a reasonable diet and exercise.

You can start on the DASH diet which stands for Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension. It’s quite simple. The basic foods are broken down to the following:

• Cut back on foods that is high in saturated fat, trans-fat and the bad (LDL) cholesterol
• Eat more fruits, vegetables, and low-fat dairy foods
• Eat more whole-grain foods, nuts and white meat like fish, poultry
• Limit sodium, sweets and sugary drinks and red meat

You can get more information at dashdiet.org. There are many more informative websites over the Internet.

In addition, you should look at taking the following supplements along with the DASH diet which are:

• Apple Cider Vinegar like one tablespoon per 8 oz. of water 2 or 3 times per day helps the blood pressure and balances the pH level
• Magnesium as Magnesium Citrate or some organic salt for easier absorption lowers the blood pressure
• Calcium as Calcium Citrate or some organic salt for easier absorption helps maintain a normal blood pressure
• Potassium as Potassium Citrate or some organic salt for easier absorption lowers the blood pressure
• Vitamin C improves blood flow and lowers the risk of heart disease
• Omega 3 in capsules lowers the risk of coronary heart disease and improves the cholesterol level
• Garlic extract is an anti-oxidant and
• Co-enzyme Q10 (CoQ10) functions as a powerful anti-oxidant and restores damaged cells
• Cayenne pepper good for opening restricted blood vessels and great on food

In addition to above, you should consider changing your life style. Reduce weight by having a low carb, high fiber, protein and salt free diet. Cut out the fat! No eating at fast-food restaurants which are the main cause of obesity in the US. Exercise, but do not do any strenuous exercises like weight lifting, running and mussel building work-outs. Instead, try swimming or walking a couple of miles a day. A walk through the park or country side is so refreshing. Try not to get stressed out, but instead be cool. Try Yoga, Tai Shi or some meditation exercise, even practice deep breathing. Get more rest and take a short siesta after lunch. It will recharge you.

Try to quit smoking and drink less alcohol like no more than one to two drinks a day. Better to stop all together.  “Easier said than done,” right? But, I will cover these problem areas in my other posts.

There is an excellent program in controlling high blood pressure naturally. Check it out here.

In my next post, I will go over another blood pressure problem, although it is not as serious as high blood pressure, and that is low blood pressure.