Lower Your Blood Pressure With Diet - The Diabetes Self Care Program

You can lower blood pressure (BP) with diet as part of your overall diabetes self care program. 

Unfortunately, this condition (hypertension) is part of the unpleasant package of health problems that seem to be part of type 2 diabetes. Sometimes your doctor might find that your blood pressure is just too high to wait for lifestyle changes to help, and you should get on appropriate medications right away.

But, if medications have not done enough or you have time to try to lower blood pressure without medication, if it is just starting to creep up, you have diet, herbs, other supplements, and even biofeedback that can probably help. 

The food-related mainstay of the self care program for hypertension is what they call the DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) diet.

It includes a menu plan to:

· Reducing intake of foods that are higher in saturated fats and cholesterol, including eating less red meat and processed meats like bacon, hot dogs, sausages, and deli meats

· Increasing your intake of fruits and vegetables high in magnesium, potassium, antioxidants and other nutrients

· Replacing regular dairy products with fat-free or low-fat dairy substitutes such as soy or almond milk

· Adding more whole grains, fish, poultry, beans, seeds, and nuts

· Cutting down foods high in sugar and replacing items like caffeinated beverages with water and caffeine-free herbal teas (sweetened with stevia only if necessary)

· Limiting your total daily salt intake (sodium) to below 2300 milligrams, but preferably less than 1500 milligrams

Some people are especially sensitive to salt (sodium chloride, whether manufactured or sea salt) in a way that leads to higher blood pressure after eating it. Other people's blood pressure is not salt-sensitive.

It is often a boggling revelation to look at the sodium in something like one fast food burger meal or even chicken fast food meal contain a lot more than 1500 or 2300 milligrams of sodium all at once. 

Obviously, it is not good to sprinkle extra salt on your food. Start exploring alternative spices that can make your meals taste great without affecting your blood pressure, for instance, garlic powder (not garlic salt).

You have to check it out for yourself. It is a key part of self care to buy a home blood pressure cuff monitor and check yourself when you first get up and periodically during the day. Find out your trigger foods and/or stressful situations that get you tense and your BP up.

And, include lots of simple clean water every day to keep your blood from clotting too easily and to clear out any metabolic toxins that can build up as your body processes your food.

To get started on a DASH diet, you'll need some healthier, low carb recipes. This is all part of the self care diabetes program to reverse type 2 diabetes naturally, including high blood pressure. 

Claim your free copy of our "25 Healthy Low Carb Recipes" Sampler and learn more about the best low carb foods for diabetes at High Blood Sugar Diet. Visit us at Best Low Carb Meals to claim your copy today.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Iris_Bell,_M.D._Ph.D.