Did you lower your blood pressure without meds?

[Anonymous]

I'm 36, eat healthy, exercise (though I could do more), and weigh 118. While I would like to weigh 5 pounds lighter, this is a healthy weight for me and most people consider me slim. My blood pressure has been creeping up to the 130's and I'd like to make some changes before I get put on meds. I have a genetic predisposition to hypertension and no indications that the rise is related to a disease. So what can I do? Does the DASH diet work if you aren't obese?

[Anonymous]

Get a home blood pressure machine, to check it at home, in your own resting environment, to see what your real blood pressure is. Mine is usually 10-20 points higher at a doctor's office, than at home.

Generally, getting enough sleep, keeping stresses low, not smoking, doing some exercise, eating foods with fiber, vegetables, and whole grains, are the best things you can do. And drink a lot of water.

[Anonymous]

The DASH diet can help and it's certainly a healthy way to eat, but it didn't keep mine low enough to stay off meds. I also have a genetic predisposition to high BP with no other health factors. I'd say try it, but don't be too discouraged if you need to medicate. I've been taking medicine for a few years and a small does has done the trick, with only a few tweaks.

[Anonymous]

See the cholesterol thread, the list I noted there works for blood pressure too. My STBXH lowered cholesterol and got off blood pressure medication following those guidelines. You can also read Escape from Statins an article in Men's Health.

[Anonymous]

In my experience, even mild dehydration can lead to high blood pressure so keep up with the h2o.

[Anonymous]

I lowered mine with diet, exercise and more specifically a daily smoothie with beets and spinach. I feel amazing!

[Anonymous]

Retired. Heaven!

[Anonymous]

I had to lose weight to lower mine, but even now at a healthy weight, this is what helps me keep it within acceptable ranges:

1) Invested in some $$$$$ spices from Penzeys. This helped me cut down on the salt I was using when cooking.

2) I eliminated deli meat, canned soup, non-fresh bread, and frozen meals from my diet. We (DH and I) use frozen or fresh veggies instead of canned. We buy low-sodium beans b/c I'm too lazy to soak them overnight and rinse them well before cooking with them. I still eat pasta and canned pasta sauce (I recommend Classico). I really need to cut back on the dairy, though.

3) Agree 100 percent with the hydration. It helps me.

4) Exercise has helped me so much. Do you lift weights/go to Body Pump? I really believe that doing this 2-3x/week, in addition to cardio, has helped my body get stronger and process nutrients more efficiently.

5) Monitoring at home. I fluctuate from (roughly) 110/80 to 125/85, which is considered acceptable by my doctor. It was helpful to show several months' worth of data at my last physical, especially since I get nervous during checkups and my BP spikes correspondingly!

I started this whole process with an average BP of 170/98, so I'm pretty proud of having controlled it. This isn't going to work forever for me (genetics will kick in), but for now, it's good.

[Anonymous]

Apple cider vinegar

[Anonymous]

I cut out wheat/gluten and my top/lower numbers both went down 10 points.