How to Prevent Hypertension

Expert Reviewed

Three Methods:Eating HealthyLowering Risk FactorsAdopting Healthy HabitsCommunity Q&A

Hypertension, or high blood pressure, is often undiagnosed because there are usually no symptoms; however, hypertension can lead to serious conditions like heart disease, kidney disease, or stroke, since an increased workload for the heart can cause arteries to thicken.^[1] Whether you have high blood pressure already (more than 120/80), or wish to prevent it in the future, it's easy to do both by paying attention to your diet and maintaining a healthier lifestyle.

Steps

Method 1

Eating Healthy

1. 1

   Eat plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables.

   Fresh produce generally has a low calorie density, meaning you can eat a lot of them and fill up without ingesting too many calories.

   ^[2]

   Have four to five servings of vegetables each day. One serving is 1 cup of leafy greens, ½ cup of cooked veggies, or 6 ounces of vegetable juice. In addition, eat four to five servings of fruit a day.

   • Fresh produce is always best, but you can also have frozen fruit and veggies or even dried fruit (just watch for added sugar).
   • Try veggie chips instead of regular potato chips. You can make your own at home with just a baking sheet and a little olive oil. Kale chips are an excellent choice, and much cheaper to make yourself than to purchase.
   • Add fresh fruit to your oatmeal or cereal in the mornings. Or make a smoothie with frozen fruit and yogurt or milk. If you have more time to cook, try an omelet with your favorite sliced veggies.
   • Double the amount of vegetables in recipes for soups, salads, and casseroles.^[3]

2. 2

   Choose whole grains.

   White flour is basically sugar when digested. Instead of white bread and pasta, choose whole grain versions made with wheat, oats, brown rice, barley or rye. Whole grains offer nutrients that aren’t found in most fruits and vegetables, and eating three servings daily can substantially reduce your risk of heart disease.

   ^[4]

   • Try brown or wild rice instead of white rice. It’s better for you and adds a lot of flavor.
   • Choose whole-grain cereals for breakfast, or switch to oatmeal some days.^[5]
   • Read packages to look for foods with a whole grain as the first ingredient, or at least 8 g of whole grain content per serving.^[6]
   • Cooking pasta al dente is a better health option as it takes longer to digest and functions as a good source of fiber in the diet.^[7]

3. 3

   Lower your salt intake.

   Eating too much sodium can cause high blood pressure and damage arteries. You should have no more than 2,300 mg of sodium a day.

   ^[8]

   • Buy fresh meats instead of packaged ones, like lunch meat. These typically have a lot of added sodium.
   • Choose plain frozen vegetables instead of those with sauces or seasonings, and add your own flavors when you cook them.
   • When eating out, request dishes to be prepared without added salt.

4. 4

   Find healthy proteins.

   Choose skinless chicken or turkey and ground beef that is at least 90% lean. Seafood and fish are great choices for protein, often easy to prepare, and leaner than meats. Vegans should include legumes, peas, nuts and seeds in their diet for adequate protein intake, and vegetarians can eat more eggs, too.

   • Try quinoa in soups, tossed with vegetables or in salads.^[9]
   • Make sure you prepare them in healthy ways, too, like grilling, poaching, baking or roasting, instead of frying in oil.^[10]
   • One serving of meat is 3 to 4 ounces, and you should have two or less each day.^[11]
   • Red meat is ok to eat on occasion, but not everyday. Skinless poultry or fish are less fatty and generally healthier for people with hypertension.

5. 5

   Drink eight to ten 8-ounce glasses of water daily. Dehydration

   can contribute to hypertension because it makes the body retain sodium.

   ^[12]

   Drinking plenty of fluids also helps flush toxins from the body. Drink more than this if you live in a hot climate and when you exercise.

   • The amount of water each person needs is very individual. Elderly people generally need less than eight glasses a day, while overweight people need more water to help digestion and flushing toxins. Add one extra glass for each 25 lbs over your ideal body weight.^[13] Drink when you are thirsty and drink until you are not anymore, and you are probably getting enough.
   • Increase your water intake gradually if you do not currently drink much. This will prevent placing high stress on your kidneys.
   • When exercising, you need more. Drink 2 cups of fluid two hours before exercising, and water every 15 minutes while exercising.

6. 6

   Eat more foods containing potassium.

   The DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) diet recommends getting 150% more potassium than the typical American diet. Potassium is naturally found in potatoes, sun-dried tomatoes, kidney beans, bananas, avocadoes, fish, and milk.

   ^[14]

   • Eating five servings of fruits and vegetables a day will provide enough potassium to help lower your blood pressure.^[15]
   • Avoid potassium supplements if you have kidney disease or take blood pressure medicines. Increasing your potassium intake sharply could be harmful in these cases, so ask your doctor for advice on how to add more to your diet naturally and safely.

7. 7

   Avoid sugar.

   One tablespoon of sugar or jam and 8 ounces of sugary beverage both count as one serving. Don’t have more than five servings per week.

   ^[16]

   Start reading packages to look for added sugars and choose regular versions of snacks instead of low-fat versions, which often have even more sugar to make up for less taste.

   • Drink flavored sparkling water instead of soda. There are many brands and flavors available and often they are calorie-free. Or, add some fresh fruit, herbs, and/or vegetables to regular drinking water to make it more fun. Mint and cucumber taste great together, as do watermelon and basil.
   • Eat fruit with a spoonful of whipped cream for dessert instead of ice cream or pies. The natural sugar in fruit is much better for you and digests slower in your body. This is also an easy way to increase your intake of fresh produce, but make sure to leave skins on since they contain most of the plant’s fiber.
   • There are 56 different names for sugars used in lists of ingredients (including dextrose, lactose, malt, sucrose, sorbitol, cane juice, rice syrup, molasses maple syrup, corn syrup, and glucose). If one is the first ingredient, or more than one type of sugar is included, choose something else. Manufacturers used various names to hide the total amount of sugar used so that it isn’t the first ingredient listed.^[17]

Method 2

Lowering Risk Factors

1. 1

   Check your blood pressure regularly.

   You should have it checked at the doctor’s office every two years starting at age 20 if it is below 120/80. If it is higher than that, your doctor may recommend coming in more often.

   ^[18]

   If you have high blood pressure at the doctor’s office, you can buy a blood pressure monitor to use at home from most drug stores and pharmacies. Daily monitoring can help your doctor know if treatments or lifestyle changes are working.

   ^[19]

   • Chart your blood pressure readings to look for changes or patterns.
   • Don’t rely solely on a home monitor. These are made to be used in conjunction with screenings by your health care provider.
   • Do not adjust or stop taking prescribed medicines even if your home monitor shows a decrease in blood pressure without discussing it with your doctor first.
   • Pregnant women and the elderly should always monitor their blood pressure at home in addition to visiting their doctor regularly.

2. 2

   Exercise at least 2 ½ hours each week.^[20]

   Exercise not only firms, tones and helps weight loss, but it also relieves stress and tension that can be harmful and contribute to hypertension.

   • Walking is an excellent way to start an exercise program, as you can start out slowly. If you're a beginner exerciser or haven't exercised in a while, try walking for 10 minutes at a time. Slowly build up to walking for longer periods of time, from 30 to 50 minutes.
   • If walking is painful, try low-impact exercises like swimming or using a stationary bicycle.
   • Enroll in an aerobic or Pilates class to firm and tone your muscles.
   • Try kickboxing or Krav Maga to learn self defense while becoming more fit.
   • Include strength training two to three times weekly, as this can help build muscle and stability.

3. 3

   Lose weight, if needed.

   People who are overweight have a higher risk of being diagnosed with hypertension, and even losing ten pounds can take some strain off your heart.

   ^[21]

   Eat a healthy diet by following standard nutritional guidelines and exercise most days of the week to lose weight gradually and safely.

   • You may need to count calories everyday to make sure your intake is less than your caloric output, but ask your doctor before drastically restricting calorie intake. Eating just 500 calories less daily can help you lose one pound a week.^[22]
   • Avoid crash diets and severe calorie or food group restrictions, since such diets cause added stress to the body instead of relieving physical stresses associated with being overweight.
   • Overweight individuals that used hypertension medication to control their blood pressure reported they were either able to stop taking or reduce the dosage after losing weight and decreasing sodium intake.^[23]
   • If you aren’t sure if you are over a healthy weight, ask your doctor, or use an online Body Mass Index calculator.

4. 4

   Increase your overall physical activity.

   Do housework and lawn work yourself instead of paying someone else to do it. Park at the back of lots when you run errands to make yourself walk more. Take the stairs instead of an elevator. Stand up while on the phone and pace the room.

   ^[24]

   • Tracking your steps and activity is a great motivator and way to reach your goals Consider a pedometer, using your smartphone, or buying a device that tracks more details electronically, such as a Fitbit.

Method 3

Adopting Healthy Habits

1. 1

   Limit alcohol intake.

   Drinking more than three servings in a single sitting will raise your blood pressure temporarily, but binge drinking regularly can cause serious long-term effects on your cardiovascular system. Alcohol may also interact with any medications you take and adds calories to your diet that could contribute to weight gain or inability to lose weight.

   ^[25]

   • Men under 65 should have two or less drinks per day and those over 65 should limit themselves to just one drink daily.^[26]
   • Women should not have more than one drink per day.^[27]
   • If you are a heavy drinker, taper down over a period of one to two weeks to avoid a severe rise in blood pressure often associated with sudden avoidance of alcohol.
   • One drink is 12 ounces of beer, 5 ounces of wine, or 1.5 ounces of liquor.

2. 2

   Stop smoking.

   Nicotine raises your blood pressure, lowers HDL cholesterol, reduces oxygen levels in the body, and can cause blood clots. All of these factors can lead to serious heart disease, but quitting now can reduce your risk of heart disease by half after a year.

   ^[28]

   • Using a nicotine replacement product in addition to joining a smoking cessation program doubles your chances of quitting, according to the American Lung Association.
   • E-cigarettes help some people quit over time. Use them to taper off your consumption or to take a puff when you feel you can’t resist it, instead of buying a whole pack of smokes. Note that they are not a safer version of cigarettes, however.
   • Make notecards listing all the reasons you want to quit and keep them with you at all times. When the urge is strong, use them to remind you why quitting is worth the effort.
   • Keep your hands busy at times you used to have a cigarette. For example, you can still join your friends or co-workers on a “smoke break,” but take an apple to eat so you aren’t tempted.

3. 3

   Manage your stress.

   Regular exercise will help reduce overall stress, as will getting adequate sleep every night (seven to nine hours for most people). Consider adding another activity specifically to address stress management, like

   meditation

   ,

   yoga

   ,

   progressive muscle relaxation

   , or a low-stress hobby.

   ^[29]

   • Practice deep breathing exercises daily so that when you are in a high stress situation you can use these exercises to calm yourself down.
   • Meditation is a method for practicing mindfulness, which helps you focus on the moment and not think about everything that is stressing you out. If you aren’t comfortable with the idea of meditation, simply add mindfulness to your regular activities, like washing dishes or cooking dinner. Pay attention to what you are doing and the sights, sounds and smells you notice.
   • Pick up a fun hobby, like coloring in an adult coloring book, for a quick activity you can stop and do whenever you start to feel stressed. Try not to make it a competitive or difficult activity where you have to learn new skills, to avoid causing more stress.

Community Q&A

Add New Question

• I only have a high blood pressure when I see the doctor; do I need to make all these changes?

  We call that “White Coat” hypertension, and are realizing that your blood pressure is likely also going high in other stressful situations, and making healthy changes is important. Sometimes, if it gets very high, even for a short amount of time, it’s best to start daily medication to avoid long-term complications.

• I was recently diagnosed with HTN and given medicine. How long do I need to take it?

  Once you have been diagnosed and started medication, you should plan to take it for the rest of your life, unless you have a lot of opportunity to make the lifestyle and habit changes and work with your doctor.

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Tips

• Check your blood pressure on a regular basis if hypertension runs in your immediate family. Contact a family member to discuss chronic or major family health issues if the medical history is unknown.
• Purchase and use a blood pressure monitor if your doctor recommends daily testing. A monitor can be purchased from any major department or drugstore. The prices range from $20 to $100 depending on the features and brand of the monitor.

Warnings

• Long-term side effects of uncontrolled hypertension include kidney damage, stroke, loss of vision, and heart and artery damage.

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