>Health Tip on Blood Pressure

>If you want to keep your blood pressure normal, weight reduction and exercise help, but did you know it is not just reducing your sodium that is helpful.
You should also increase the potassium and calcium in your diet to keep hypertension at bay. There are many studies that have found that people who stay healthy through calcium and potassium rich foods have decreased their numbers in blood pressure. What a normal blood pressure has also changed. Now doctors want you to have a reading of 110/70 instead of 120/80, and if you have hypertension which is 140/90 or above, you need to get your blood pressure under control, so try some foods rich in potassium and calcium, and get some exercise!
And if you have hypertension, there are lifestyle modifications  such as weight reduction, a DASH eating plan: Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension which is rich in fruits and vegetables and low in fat.

Foods high in Potassium                                              Food high in Calcium
dried apples/peaches                                                       milk   brocolli    soybeans  low fat yogurt
bananas  turnips spinach                                                tofu   soybeans   okra   kale   mustard greens
cantalope brussel sprouts                                               ice cream  baked beans 
cauliflower  sweet potatoes
sunflower seeds   split peas
potatoes   rubarb

Taken in part from: Schlenker, E.D. and Roth S.Long. (2011) Williams Essentials of Nutrition and Diet Therapy. St.Louis, Mo. Elsevier, Mosby.
Hausman, P and Hurley, J. ( 1991) Healing foods: The Ultimate Authority on the Curative power of Nutrition. New York. Dell Publishing