You might be aware that blood pressure is a measure commonly used by health professionals as one indicator of overall health – helping to understand what’s going on inside your body and how your health is tracking.

But what is blood pressure? Why does it matter? And how can Be Fit Food help manage yours? Here’s the low-down (pun intended!).

A common side effect of being overweight, high blood pressure causes your heart and arteries to work harder than is normal. Usually developing over several years, high blood pressure can cause damage to your heart and other vital organs – leading to cardiovascular disease such as heart attacks and stroke.

High blood pressure is significantly impacted and influenced by eating habits, being overweight, not doing enough physical activity, and family history can play a part too.

One strategy for preventing (and even reversing) high blood pressure is reducing sodium intake – known as salt in layman’s terms. High sodium intake can put pressure onto the kidneys – who work hard to maintain the proper balance of water in our bodies – and cause a predisposition to high blood pressure.

Foods high in sodium are often staples in the standard Australian diet, such as processed and cured meats, canned foods like beans and soups, takeaway foods, sauces and bottled dressings. At Be Fit Food, we make sure meals are low in sodium and we don’t add salt to the food – preferring to use herbs and spices to make meals tasty!

Another thing to consider when looking at lowering blood pressure is adopting a diet rich in plant-based foods, whole grains, lean meats, legumes, eggs and healthy fats – known as The Mediterranean diet. We use principles from the gold standard Mediterranean diet when creating our meals, to optimize the wholefood ingredients and help manage safe blood pressure levels, and your overall health.

Not sure where to start with your journey back to low blood pressure? We have a team of Dietitians here to help your journey back to good health. Dietitian consultations are free, over-the-phone appointments that can be booked online. They can’t wait to talk with you!

Before starting a new way of eating, we encourage you to seek medical advice and undertake a medical check-up, particularly if you have a medical condition and/or are taking medications.
 

SPEAK TO A DIETITIAN

Our Dietitians are here to support you on your health journey, whether you want to lose 2kg or 20kg! Consultations are done over the phone and take around 15 minutes. So pop on the kettle, and book a chat with one of our team, to start planning how you can eat yourself better.

IMPROVING THE QUALITY OF YOUR DIET CAN HELP TO: