If Your Blood pressure Starts Inching Up...

Blood pressure readings include 2 numbers. For example, your blood pressure could be 110 over 75. The first number is systolic, which means this is the pressure on your artery walls during a heart beat.
The second number is called diastolic, the pressure between beats.

Below is the scale that doctors use:

• Normal blood pressure: lower than 120 over 80
• Prehypertension: lower than 130 over 90
• High blood pressure: 140 over 90 or higher

Your risk for hypertension rises when your blood pressure enters the pre hypertension range.
You can prevent high blood pressure by choosing the right lifestyle choices like;

• losing excess weight
• exercising at a medium rate for at least 30 minutes on most days.
• eating diet rich in fruits, veggies, whole grains and low-fat dairy products.
• watching how much saturated fat, total fat and cholesterol you eat.
• aiming for no more than 2,300mg. of sodium a day.

Sodium is in many foods that you don't think of as being salty, yet these foods can make your BP rise. So, always check the Nutrition Facts label to make sure you aren't eating too much sodium.

Surprising Sources of Sodium:

• chocolate pudding (1/2 cup) - 417mg.
• tomato pasta sauce (1 cup) - 1,203mg.
• rye bread (1 slice) - 211mg.
• baked beans (1 cup) - 856mg.
• fried fish fillet, breaded or battered - 484mg.
• American cheese (1 oz.) - 422mg.
• canned vegetable soup (1 cup) - 1,010mg.