Including potassium-rich foods in your diet may protect against high blood pressure and help to control blood pressure that is too high. Also, if your blood potassium is too low, it may increase blood pressure.

Foods that contain potassium include:

If you take a "diuretic" (water pill) to control your blood pressure, it is important to have your doctor check your potassium level during your regular check-ups. You may need to take a potassium supplement to keep your blood potassium within the normal range. Some medical conditions (such as kidney disease) may require you to LIMIT the amount of potassium in your diet.Talk with your doctor about including potassium-rich foods in your diet.

A registered dietitian can give you more information about foods rich in potassium.

A study, called DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) looked at the impact of foods on high blood pressure. They found that those following a DASH diet lowered systolic blood pressure (the top number) by 5.5 mm Hg and diastolic blood pressure (the bottom number) by 3.0 mm Hg. In addition, these benefits occurred quickly, within 2 weeks of starting the DASH plan.

This includes:

In people with high blood pressure, the systolic blood pressure decreased by 11.4 mm Hg and the diastolic blood pressure decreased by 5.5 mm Hg.

A registered dietitian can help you plan your daily menu to include foods rich in fiber, potassium magnesium and calcium, while limiting the amount of fat.

See the resources below to learn more about the DASH diet.

During periods of stress or anger, blood pressure rises. If the stress and anger persists, over time, high blood pressure can occur. Stress and anger also related to heart disease.

Tips to control stress and anger:

Stress management professionals are available to help you learn new strategies to control stress and anger

Depending on your blood pressure readings, other risk factors, or blood pressure related conditions your doctor may decide to place you on medications to reach your blood pressure goal. Decreasing blood pressure with medications and lifestyle changes clearly decreases the risk of cardiovascular disease and death.

Tips to treat high blood pressure with medications:

There are many different types of blood pressure medications. You will need to find the best drug to achieve your blood pressure goal with the least amount of side effects.

To control high blood pressure, you must work with your health care team of doctors, nurses, and other health care providers. Once your high blood pressure is diagnosed, your doctor may want to see you often until it is under control (every one to four weeks). He or she may want you to monitor your blood pressure at home and keep a record of your blood pressure at different times of the day. Once your blood pressure is in control, regular follow up visits are still required to ensure control and minimize side effects. Your doctor will tell you how often to schedule visits.