When it comes to lowering blood pressure, most people immediately think of stress and obesity as being key factors, which they are, but the foods you eat can elevate your blood pressure as well.

An unhealthy diet includes salt and fats.  These foods will increase your blood pressure – and your waistline.  You may remember being told since you were a child that you should eat your vegetables.  Of course, fruits and vegetables are great for you.  It’s also important to add whole grains and do at least 20 minutes of exercise every day.

Salt can hide in process foods and be lurking in places where you least expect.  To prevent spoiling, salt is added to a lot of foods.  As we all know, it’s found in soups, crackers and pretzels.  But did you know that salt brings out the sweetness of cookies and cakes?  There is also an extremely high amount of sodium in diet soft drinks.

When cooking you can try to add spices, lower sodium substitutes, or salt free substitutes (like Mrs. Dash) to your dishes if you miss the flavor.  While gradually reducing your salt intake, in a couple of months, you won’t even notice it’s missing.

The recommended allowance of sodium should not exceed 1500 milligrams per day.  If you have high blood pressure, you should cut this in half.   Water can flush sodium out of your body, so drink AT LEAST 8 glasses per day.   By your next doctors visit, you’ll be surprised how much lower your blood pressure has become.