You can take all the blood pressure medicines in the world, yet if you have a poorly planned meal plan then you won’t be successful in controlling and improving your high blood pressure level.

What you eat plays a vital role in controlling your blood pressure level.  The best way to combat high blood pressure is by eating right. A diet that is rich in magnesium, potassium, fibers but low in sodium is ideal for people suffering from high blood pressure.

Don’t know how to plan your high blood pressure diet chart? No worries. Here are some useful healthy diet tips that will help you pick the right food and tell you what food items you are better off without.

• Keep a tab on your sodium intake
  A low level of sodium in your diet will help you have a better control on your blood pressure level. The more sodium you eat, the higher the chances are of your blood pressure rising. The best way to make sure that you eat just the right amount of salt is to maintain a food journal, where you keep tab of your sodium intake. Ideally, you should not have more than a teaspoon of salt in your diet.  Don’t forget to check the ‘daily value’ of sodium behind the packaged food items you pick from the supermarket.

• Indulge in fat free yogurt
  Yogurt prevents and helps to lower your blood pressure level. Yogurt is rich in calcium, potassium, magnesium and at the same time low in fat, making it perfect for your blood pressure level. Make sure that you choose the unsweetened, plain yogurt over the flavored one for best results.

• Have plenty of green veggies
  You already know that a high sodium level in your body causes high blood pressure. It is observed that potassium helps our kidney to throw away the excess of sodium in our body in form of urine. This brings us to the conclusion that potassium-rich food items are great for managing high blood pressure. Broccoli, spinach, kale, lettuce, and turnip greens are hence great to lower your blood pressure level.

• Say no to canned food items
  The truth is that only a small amount of sodium is naturally found in food. So, how do you manage to have an excess of dietary sodium? That is when the canned and processed food come into the picture. A large amount of sodium is added to these food items while they are processed. By boycotting processed food and eating healthy, you get a better control of your blood pressure level.

• Limit your alcohol intake
  Alcohol can be both a good and a bad thing when it comes to your blood pressure. Researchers and doctors believe that a small amount of alcohol can indeed bring down your blood pressure level. But the moment you go overboard and drink more than moderate amounts of alcohol, your blood pressure will shoot up. Not just that, drinking excess alcohol might also nullify the effect of the blood pressure medications that you take.

By eating right, maintaining a steady weight and indulging in positive lifestyle habits, you can easily control and improve your blood pressure level.