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The term blood pressure represents the pressure that the blood flowing through the veins in our bodies exerts on the walls of the blood vessels. The pressure originates from within the heart muscle and is the main force pushing the blood to the farthest corners of our bodies. Some individuals may experience substantially high amount of pressure being applied to the walls of their blood vessels while others may experience a less than normal amount of pressure being exerted. Both of these abnormalities come along with a number of other medical complications. The root cause of the abnormality in a number of cases is still largely unknown, although some cases seem to be linked to the presence of some other underlying medical condition. Blood pressure is measured in a value of two numbers.
The first number represents that amount of pressure applied on the artery walls when the heart muscle is in a state of contraction – known as the systolic phase; while the second number is the measurement of pressure applied on the artery wall when the heart muscle is in a state of relaxation – known as diastolic phase. Normal blood pressure is measured at 120/80. A patient is said to be suffering from high blood pressure when the pressure reads at anything more than 140/ 90 while low blood pressure, or hypotension, is present when the measurement reads at anything less than normal. Reducing your salt intake is almost essential when you suffer from high blood pressure. Salt is considered to be dangerous because of the fact that it contains sodium – which is the substance that can play havoc with the condition. While it may seem quite simple to just reduce the amount of salt content in your food preparation, a lot of us forget the fact that a number of the processed foods that we consume on a daily basis already contain a high amount of salt – making it that much harder to effectively gauge and control our salt intake. Checking the labels on the foods that you choose on a regular basis will go a long way into helping you control the onset of high blood pressure while withdrawing the salt shaker from your dining table will help resist the urge to include more salt into your food. Increasing your intake of fresh or frozen lean meats and fish or poultry will help substantially. Using spice and herbs as a seasoning to your food will prove to be a much better alternative to salt.
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