The quality of your health depends upon many pieces that not only include the health of your bodily systems, but also include a healthy diet, exercise, and spirituality.

Diet. Treatment of your high blood pressure may center on developing general healthy diet guidelines, in addition to making some key adjustments in your relationship with food.

A word about salt. There is increasing evidence that salt is not the true culprit in high blood pressure, but rather deficiencies of key minerals (primarily magnesium, potassium, and calcium) resulting from a highly processed diet.  Those who maintain high intakes of calcium and magnesium through a well-balanced diet tend to experience lower blood pressure.  A salt-laden diet is a tell-tale sign of a poor, nutritionally deficient, processed diet—a factor that is more likely the cause of high blood pressure.

Common sense prevails when it comes to salt.  Follow a diet that contains whole and unprocessed foods that are naturally low in salt. By eliminating processed foods from your diet, you’ll automatically reduce your salt intake, while also increasing the nutritional content of your foods.

Dietary recommendations for high blood pressure:

• Eat foods rich in magnesium, such as pumpkin seeds, spinach, chard, sunflower seeds, and navy beans.  Studies have shown that an adequate intake of magnesium may help lower blood pressure.  Read the National Institutes of Health Report about magnesium.
• Switch from table salt to Himalayan Crystal salt.  Unlike table salt, Himalayan crystal salt contains 84 minerals and trace elements, which are essential for optimal health and mineral balance.  High blood pressure can be caused by an imbalance of potassium, calcium, and magnesium.
• Choose high-quality, organic, hormone- and antibiotic-free “grass-fed” meats.
• Increase your omega-3 essential fatty acids by selecting high-quality wild fish, and fish oil.
• Add high-quality fiber to your diet, such as ground flax meal.  Increasing the amount of fiber in your diet helps regulate blood pressure and may help counteract the constipation frequently associated with taking blood pressure medications.
• Add healthy saturated fats to your diet, such as extra virgin organic coconut oil.  Read more about good fats and bad fats.
• Choose sprouted whole grain products.
• Choose organic, cage-free eggs.
• Choose unpasteurized, raw dairy items that have live, active cultures (probiotics), such as yogurt and kefir.
• Drink room-temperature purified water throughout the day.

Foods to AVOID when treating high blood pressure:

• All simple or refined carbohydrates (white flour, white rice, white bread, pasta, cookies, cakes, crackers, processed snack foods, etc.)
• All foods containing refined sugar or artificial sugar-substitutes such as Aspartame and Splenda^®
• Alcoholic beverages
• Limited fruits that have a high-glycemic index
• Pasteurized fruit juices, since they spike blood sugar levels too rapidly
• Carbonated soft drinks that cause blood pH levels to become acidic
• Seafood, such as oysters, clams, and lobster that may contain toxic levels of mercury
• Deep-sea fish such as tuna, mackerel, and swordfish that may contain toxic levels of mercury.  Choose minimal-mercury tuna instead.
• Farm-raised fish that contain PCBs and not enough omega-3 essential fatty acids, due to their land-based diets.  Choose wild Alaskan salmon.
• Nitrites found in processed foods such as hot dogs, lunch meats, and bacon
• Monosodium glutamate (MSG) found in many foods as a flavor enhancer
• Hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oils found in many processed foods, deep-fried foods, fast foods, and junk food. Read more about trans fats.
• Limited caffeine intake.  While moderate amounts of caffeine may be beneficial, excessive consumption of caffeine can disrupt the body’s systems.

Other Tips for Treating High Blood Pressure
Lifestyle changes are the frontline defense for high blood pressure. Discuss with your healthcare professional a plan of action to reduce blood pressure by making lifestyle changes.  The following is a list of items that can be a guideline for combating high blood pressure:

• Consider long-term supplementation with magnesium. One important study concludes that oral magnesium supplementation may be effective as a non-pharmacological treatment for essential hypertension. If you are taking prescription medications for high blood pressure, consult with your healthcare professional before discontinuing any medications.
• Drop the excess weight.  Obesity can increase blood pressure.  By reducing your weight through exercise and dietary portion control, you can favorably impact your blood pressure.  Read more about obesity.
• Do moderate exercise on a regular basis.  Exercise is a powerful tool for reducing high blood pressure.
• Cut back on alcohol.  Excessive consumption of alcohol (more than 5 drinks a day) is known to increase blood pressure.
• Stop smoking and cut back on caffeine.  Although smoking has not been proven to be directly associated with high blood pressure, it does increase heart disease risk in patients who already suffer from hypertension.  Additionally, the combination of smoking and caffeine can increase blood pressure in hypertensive patients.
• Participate in stress management or relaxation therapy. It is widely accepted that chronic stress is a contributing factor in raising blood pressure.  Therefore, efforts to reduce stress through biofeedback, hypnotherapy, and breathing techniques can all help to reduce blood pressure.
• Discuss heavy metal toxicity with your healthcare professional.  Heavy Metal Toxicity can produce vague symptoms that sometimes are mistaken for other chronic conditions.  Discuss heavy metal toxicity with your healthcare professional.  Read more about heavy metal toxicity.
• Consider removing your amalgams safely.  If you have dental amalgams, or “silver” fillings, get an evaluation from a mercury-free dentist who specializes in the safe removal of mercury amalgam fillings.  Find a mercury-free dentist in your area now.

Additional Information about High Blood Pressure

1. High Blood Pressure Overview
2. Common symptoms of high blood pressure
3. Common causes of high blood pressure
4. Natural and alternative treatments for high blood pressure
5. Conventional or prescription medications used in the treatment of high blood pressure
6. Additional reading about high blood pressure