Healthy weight
“Weight is one of the most important determiners of blood pressure,” says John Bisognano, MD, director of the Hypertension Clinic at the University of Rochester Medical Center in Rochester, New York. “Once someone’s BMI is over 25 to 28, taking off a few pounds will make a big difference in treating high blood pressure.”
Cut back on salt
Most Americans eat more salt than they should be, including those with high blood pressure. If you’re one of them, you should start now to minimize your intake of salt, because this will make a big difference in your blood pressure.
“We ask people to decrease their consumption from sky-high to reasonable levels,” says Dr. Bisognano. “Learn not to salt your eggs; finish your lunch without a pickle—you want to make little changes you can tolerate for the long term.”
