A blood pressure and heart healthy diet packed full of fresh fruits and vegetables is generally thought to help with blood pressure.  Avoid excessive salt intake or cut salt out of your diet all together.

It is typically recommended that individuals avoid eating a diet high in fat in order to lower blood pressure

It’s true that you can be put on medication to help lower your blood pressure, but you can also use alternative methods of treatment, which include dietary and lifestyle changes too.

Choose meals which are low in saturated fat, low in sodium and low in calories.  Always choose low-fat or fat-free dairy products.  Always eat your fruits and vegetables without butter or sauce.  Choose rice, beans, cereals, pasta and other whole grain foods.  When eating meat and fish, choose lean cuts and avoid eating the skin of turkey or chicken.  Whenever possible, choose salt-free or low-sodium foods.

Recipe substitutions to follow:

• For each whole egg that you are supposed to use in a recipe, use two egg whites instead
• Use margarine or oil instead of butter whenever possible
• Instead of sour cream, use non-fat yogurt
• Choose low-fat cheese instead of regular cheese
• Always drink and cook with 1 % or skim milk instead of 2 % or whole milk
• Avoid processed or canned meat and choose lean cuts instead

Other tips for eating and cooking:

• Instead of ground beef or ground chuck, choose ground turkey
• Use skinless chicken for tacos
• When eating soup, cool completely and skim off the fat before reheating
• Instead of butter, add salsa to a baked potato
• Season fish with green pepper and onion, as well as garlic, oregano, lemon and cilantro
• Choose fruit for dessert and low-fat or fat-free frozen yogurt instead of pie or ice cream

That being said, I’ll leave you with a healthy recipe that is both heart healthy and should help to reduce your high blood pressure.

Tomato and Olive Stuffed Portobello Caps

-      Ingredients –

2/3 cup of chopped plum tomatoes

½ cup of shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

¼ cup of chopped Kalamata olives

1 teaspoon of minced garlic

2 teaspoons of extra-virgin olive oil, divided

½ teaspoon of finely chopped fresh rosemary, or 1/8 of a teaspoon of dried rosemary

1/8 of a teaspoon of freshly ground pepper

4 Portobello mushroom caps, at least 5 inches wide

2 Tablespoons of lemon juice

2 teaspoons of reduced-sodium soy sauce

-      Directions –

Combine tomatoes, cheese, olives, garlic and 1 teaspoon of the olive oil, along with the rosemary and pepper in a small bowl.

Preheat the grill to medium heat.

Discard mushroom stems and remove the brown gills from the underside of the caps using a spoon.

Mix the remaining 1 teaspoon of olive oil, lemon juice and soy sauce in a small bowl.  Brush this mixture over both sides of the caps.

Oil a grill rack and place the caps on the rack, stem side down.  Cover and grill until soft, about five minutes for each side.  Remove from the grill and fill each cap with the tomato mixture.  Return to the grill, cover and cook until the cheese is melted, which will take approximately three minutes longer.

Note: To oil the grill rack, oil a folded paper towel, hold it down with tongs and rub it over the rack.  Do not use cooking spray on a grill rack.

Nutritional Information

Per serving: 122 calories; 7 g fat (2 g sat, 4 g mono); 9 mg cholesterol; 9 g carbohydrate; 7 g protein; 3 g fiber; 339 mg sodium.; 431 mg potassium
Nutrition bonus: Vitamin C (25% daily value), Potassium (17% dv), Calcium (15% dv).