Dietary Potassium
Working on your diet may be one of the best approaches to controlling your blood pressure. Not only do you have complete control over what you eat, but you do it everyday. This is not true for exercising where you actually have to make time for that. I know its difficult for me to get up and go for a walk or work out after a full day of work.
But, think of it. You eat everyday at least one time. Wouldn’t it be easy just to add a little more vegetables or fruits to that meal?
The University of Maryland Medical Center has the goods..
High Blood Pressure
Some studies have linked low dietary potassium intake with high blood pressure. The Joint National Committee on Prevention, Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Pressure recommends adequate amounts of potassium in the diet, along with other measures such as dietary calcium and weight loss, to prevent the development of high blood pressure. Similarly, the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet emphasizes eating foods rich in fruits, vegetables, and low- or non-fat dairy products to provide high intake of potassium, as well as magnesium and calcium.While appropriate and adequate dietary intake is necessary for preventing or improving blood pressure, potassium supplements are probably not. Some animal and early human studies did suggest that potassium supplements could help to lower blood pressure. More recent well-designed studies, however, suggest that potassium supplements do not improve blood pressure significantly. Use of potassium supplements for blood pressure, therefore, depends on the medications you are taking and the instructions of your doctor.
