Check your BP Regularly.. and Live Peacefully

Don’t Wait…Look out and participate...

Healthy Diet

• Eat plenty of fruit and vegetables everyday
  • Eat vegetables raw or lightly steamed, rather than boiled, to get maximum nutrition. Avoid frying where possible.

• Cut down on fat and sugar

  • Eating a diet low in saturated fats that includes lots of fibre (like lentils, almonds, fruits, and vegetables) lowers blood pressure. Be particularly cautious of hydrogenated or ‘trans’ fats, as well as sugars ‘hidden’ as other names such as sucrose, dextrose, fructose, and glucose. Avoid high-calorie fizzy drinks.

Daily Physical Activity and Regular Exercise

• Incorporate physical activity (e.g. walking, cycling) into everyday life and reduce sedentary behaviour (e.g. sit less), Aim for:
  • 150-300 min of aerobic exercise per week performed at a moderate intensity (like brisk walking, water aerobics, riding a bike, doubles tennis, rollerblading, gardening… etc).
  • 75-150 min of aerobic exercise per week performed at a vigorous intensity (like running, swimming, riding a bike fast or on hills, walking up the stairs, playing football, aerobics, gymnastics… etc).
  • You can spread your activity out during the week and break it up into smaller chunks of time. It could be 30-60 minutes a day, 5 days a week.

• Add dynamic resistance (muscle strengthening) exercise 2-3 times per week.
• Start slow and gradually build up the amount/intensity of activity.
• For the exercise to be worthwhile, you need to feel warmer, breathe harder, and your heart needs to beat faster than it normally does.

Maintaining a Healthy Weight

• Combine a low-caloric diet with daily physical activity if you are overweight or obese.
• Weight reduction can help bring down high blood pressure.

Restriction of Sodium Intake

• Sodium is mainly consumed as salt, which comes from processed foods or is added to the food during cooking or at the table.
• Reduce your intake of salt (1 teaspoon per day is recommended).
• If you add salt to your food or when cooking, switch to a ‘lower sodium’ alternative like potassium-enriched salt (“lo salt”, “lite salt” or “heart salt”).
• Don’t forget a lot of salt is hidden in processed foods (like most breads, cereals, soups, and sauces), so always check the label!.

Increase Potassium Intake (except for hypertensive patients with advanced kidney disease)

• Increase potassium consumption in moderate quantities, preferably via dietary modification.
• Foods high in potassium include:
  • White beans
  • Unsalted boiled spinach
  • Avocado
  • Bananas

Add Nitrate Rich Foods to the Diet

• Regular consumption of foods rich in nitrate such as:
  • Betroot (raw or roasted - not boiled)
  • Green leafy vegetables
  • Apples

Stress Management

• Stress and nervousness raise blood pressure.
• Reduce stress by use of:
  • Regular physical activity
  • Mindfulness-based exercise
  • Relaxation techniques (e.g. deep breathing, meditation, yoga)

• Get enough sleep (7-9 hours).
• Find individual ways to cope with stress (e.g. practicing mindfulness, engaging in hobbies, talking to a therapist).
• Moderate caffeine intake.

Smoking Cessation

• Your arteries clog up even faster if you smoke and this causes increase in blood pressure and many other health problems.
• Visit smoking cessation clinics to help you stop smoking.

Minimize Exposure to Noise and Air Pollution

• Reduce indoor exposure to noise and air pollution.
• Consider reducing exposure to air pollution by modifying the location, timing, and type of outdoor activities.

Avoid Alcohol

• Avoid drinking.