1. Lowering Your Blood Pressure Provided Courtesy of Nutrition411.com Review Date 11/13 G-1073 Contributed by Shawna Gornick-Ilagan, MS, RD, CWPC Updated by Nutrition411.com staff

2. Lower Blood Pressure Limit Alcohol Maintain Healthy Weight Avoid Smoking Exercise Regularly Limit Sodium Manage Stress

3. Tips to Limit Sodium Choose more: Fresh fruit and vegetables Breads Cereals Plain pasta or rice Low-fat milk and yogurt Fresh meat and poultry

4. How Much Sodium? Limit sodium to 2400 milligrams (mg)/day, or 1500 mg/day if you are older than 51 years of age, African American, or have hypertension, diabetes, or chronic kidney disease

5. Tips to Limit Sodium Read labels and look for products that are: Sodium free/salt free—less than 5 mg/serving Very low sodium—35 mg or less/serving Low sodium—140 mg or less/serving Less, fewer, or reduced sodium—contain at least 25% less sodium than comparable foods (always check labels because these foods sometimes are still high in sodium)

6. Tips to Limit Sodium (cont’d) Choose salt-free seasonings: Do not add salt when cooking or at the table Use herbs and spices to add flavor to your foods Avoid seasonings that contain salt, such as: ̶Garlic salt ̶Seasoned salt

7. Bacon Barbecue sauce Cheese spreads Gravies Ham Hot dogs Ketchup Luncheon meats Meat sauce Salad dressing Salt pork Sausage Some other condiments Soy sauce Limit or Avoid These Foods

8. Bouillon or broth Canned sauces Canned soups Canned vegetables Convenience foods (main course)— choose ones than contain less than 8 mg of sodium/serving Fast food Frozen dinners Packaged potatoes, rice, and stuffing mixes Snack foods, such as chips and salted nuts Tomato and vegetable juice (regular) Other Foods That Are High in Sodium

9. Manage Your Stress If left unmanaged, stress can cause emotional, psychological, and physical problems: ̶Heart disease ̶Blood pressure ̶Chest pain ̶Irregular heartbeat Stress also may cause you to: ̶Overeat ̶Exercise less ̶Have more of a tendency to smoke

10. Manage Your Stress (cont’d) Identify the stressor Avoid hassles and minor irritations, if possible Try to continue doing the things that you enjoyed doing before the change or stress occurred in your life Learn how to manage your time effectively Do one thing at a time—take breaks Ask for help if you need it

11. Avoid Smoking What if I told you I would pay you $2055 to quit smoking today? ̶That is how much you would pay yourself in just 1 year (based on one pack/day at the average price of $5.63/pack)

12. Quitting Smoking: The Health Benefits Within 2 days: Improved sense of smell and taste 1 to 3 months: Reduced coughing and relief of sore throat 1 year: Risk of heart attack or sudden death cut in half 2 to 3 years: Risk of heart attack (in people without cardiovascular disease) is as low as for lifelong nonsmokers 5 to 10 years: Risk of stroke is that of a lifelong nonsmoker

13. Focus on Activity Exercise provides health to your heart, lungs, and circulation Moderate- to vigorous-intensity aerobic activity: ̶30 minutes most days of the week at 50% to 85% maximum heart rate ̶Maximum heart rate for males=200 ‒ age ̶Maximum heart rate for females=226 ‒ age ̶Several sessions are fine—three 10-minute or two 15-minute sessions to equal 30 minutes

14. Focus on Activity (cont’d) Physical activity can reduce: ̶Blood pressure ̶Cigarette smoking ̶The chance of you getting diabetes ̶Extra body weight in the overweight/obese ̶Triglyceride levels Physical activity also can increase high-density lipoprotein and so much more

15. Limit Alcohol Moderate drinking is defined as: ̶No more than one drink/day for women ̶No more than two drinks/day for men Drinking more than three drinks/day is detrimental to heart function One drink is equal to: ̶12 fluid ounces (fl oz) of beer ̶12 fl oz of wine cooler ̶5 fl oz of wine ̶1.5 fl oz of 80-proof liquor

16. Maintain a Healthy Weight Losing 5% to 10% of your body weight can decrease your total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein: ̶Example: Losing 10 to 20 pounds for a 200-pound person

17. Maintain a Healthy Weight (cont’d) Lose weight by creating a calorie deficit: ̶Reduce portions ̶Try to use calorie-free beverages ̶Focus on fruits, vegetables, lean meats, low-fat dairy, and whole grains ̶Opt for the fat-free, sugar-free versions of foods ̶Read food labels ̶Eat three meals/day ̶Stay well hydrated

18. Maintain a Healthy Weight (cont’d) Aerobic activities burn the most calories: ̶Running ̶Swimming ̶Bicycling Strengthening activities also help build muscle

19. Questions?