Generally, when you go to your doctors for a checkup, they get your blood pressure check.  If your blood pressure is way above normal, they may prescribe hypertension medications.  However, it is now well documented that a balanced diet can dramatically reduce your high blood pressure, so much, the fact that you won’t need to use prescribed medication at all.

A well balanced hypertension diet would include:

It would be low in sodium (salt).

It would contain low levels of saturated fat and cholesterol.

It would be high in antioxidants and vitamins.

It would contain a high amount of potassium and magnesium.
As you can see, a balanced diet is essential, in keeping your blood pressure, to a minimum.  Now these changes to your diet do not have to be wide sweeping and all at once.  Instead of opting for fries with your meal, have a baked potato instead.  Instead of ordering that hamburger, try for a chicken sandwich instead.  The small changes can make a big difference to your blood pressure levels.

Here are a few more tips that may help you out.

1. Try to eat, home-cooked meals.

The easiest way for you to know what’s on your food is if you cook it yourself.  Instead of purchasing store, ready-made meals, take the time to learn how to cook, as it is essential for your hypertension diet.
Almost all store bought precooked meals are high in sodium, cholesterol and saturated fats, and what makes it even worse is that they are very low and other important nutrients and vitamins.  Although home cooking, does take longer, the benefits far outweigh any time factor.  With the plethora of recipes about the Internet now, you can have a fully cooked home-made meal in 15 to 20 minutes.

3000 mg a day is the recommended sodium intake for people who suffer from hypertension.  Your average American consumes around 7000 to 9000 mg.  The easy way to cut down on salt is to stay away from the packaged condiments that you can find readily available.  Here is an interesting fact; just one small squirt of your store bought tomato sauce contains around 250 mg of sodium.  This would be in addition to any sodium that is already in your meal.  This is why it doesn’t take long for your sodium content to exceed the recommended daily intake.
2. Try to eat foods high in potassium and magnesium.

As with all hypertension diet, there are foods that you should avoid.  That being said, there are foods that you should try to consume more on a regular basis.  Most fruits and vegetables are beneficial because they are low in fat, sodium and cholesterol.  However, the most beneficial vegetables and fruits are the ones that are high in magnesium and potassium.  Both of these minerals are known to reduce blood pressure levels, making them essential for a hypertension diet.

Foods that contain high levels of potassium are:

Apricots
Sultanas and raisins
Dried mixed fruit
All Bran
Potatoes
Seeds
Nuts
Tomatoes
Avocados
Bananas

Foods that contain high levels of magnesium are:

Spinach
Oysters
Peanuts
Black beans
Broccoli
Soy milk
Whole grain cereal

3. Talk to your doctor about your hypertension diet.

In general, everyone should follow recommended guidelines when diet is concerned.  There are however times when you might need to eat more of a certain food or avoid a certain food all together; this is where your doctor can help you.
If you are overweight your doctor may also recommend that you go on a diet so you can lose any additional extra weight as this also is known to raise blood pressure.

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