Make changes to your diet
Cut down on salt
How much salt you eat has a direct effect on your blood pressure.
Most of the sodium in our diet comes from salt. Your kidneys help control your blood pressure by taking water out of your bloodstream. Too much sodium in your blood pulls the water back in. This means more water in your blood vessels and higher blood pressure. So the more salt you eat, the higher your blood pressure.
This video by the British Heart Foundation shows why too much salt is bad for you.
You should aim to eat less than 6g of salt a day. This is about 1 level teaspoon. It’s not just about the salt you add yourself at the table or in cooking. Around 80% of the salt you eat is hidden in the food you buy. It’s a good idea to get in the habit of checking the salt content by reading the label.
The Blood Pressure UK website has information to help you understand more about the link between salt and blood pressure.
The British Heart Foundation Taking Control of Salt leaflet has lots of simple ways to help you cut down. They also have a simple quiz so you can find out how much you know about salt.
Eat more fruit and vegetables
Fruit and vegetables are full of vitamins, minerals and fibre to keep your body healthy. They also contain potassium which helps to balance out the negative effects of salt.
Cut down on caffeine
Drinking more than 4 cups of coffee a day may increase your blood pressure. Caffeine can temporarily raise your heart rate and your blood pressure. If you drink a lot of coffee, tea or other caffeine rich drinks such as cola and some energy drinks, consider cutting down. It’s fine to drink them as part of a balanced diet but these drinks should not be your main or only source of fluid.
Cut down on alcohol
Drinking more than the recommended amount of alcohol can raise your blood pressure over time. Visit the Drinkaware website for more information about alcohol, blood pressure and the drinking guidelines.
Alcohol is also high in calories which can make you gain weight and as a result increase your blood pressure. It can also lower your inhibitions which might make it harder for you to eat healthily when you’ve been drinking.
Lose weight
If you're overweight your heart has to work harder to pump blood around your body. This can raise your blood pressure. Losing weight will help to reduce blood pressure.
Visit our healthy eating and drinking webpages for information about eating well and making it a part of your everyday life.
Visit our healthy weight webpages to find out where you can get support to help you make changes or lose weight.