High blood pressure affects 1 in 2 people aged over 45 – but you can have high blood pressure at any age. High blood pressure can increase your chances of developing heart disease as it can damage the lining of your arteries and make it more likely that cholesterol will stick. This can lead to blockages and cause heart attack or stroke if left untreated. Even slightly high blood pressure can be a problem so it is important to do what you can to help keep your blood pressure healthy.

Know your numbers: The normal level of blood pressure is usually about 120 (systolic) over 70 (diastolic). If your blood pressure is 140 over 90 or higher, then you have high blood pressure.

Luckily there is a lot you can do to help keep your blood pressure healthy:

1. Get moving. You don’t have to join a gym or take up running (unless you want to). Any kind of physical activity is amazing for helping to lower blood pressure. As little as walking for 20 minutes five days a week can make a difference. Aim to get out for a walk (or a swim or a cycle or anything, really) at least 5 days a week. Aim to get at least 20 minutes but feel free to do more. If you have not been active for a while, start small and build up. Even 5 minutes a day will help. Exercise and movement are the most important ways to lower blood pressure so do what you can to be more active.
2. Eat lots of fruit and vegetables. We hear a lot about salt raising blood pressure, but did you know that potassium will help to lower it? Fruit and vegetables are all really good sources of potassium. People who eat lots of fruit and vegetables have lower blood pressure than people who avoid them. Try to have some fruit and/or vegetables at every meal. In an ideal world, up to half of your plate should be fruit, vegetables or salad at every meal. This can be fruit with your breakfast in the morning, a nice bowl of vegetable soup at lunch time and a side salad or stir fry at dinner. Do check out the recipes on our website for lots of vegetable dishes and ideas.
3. Eat low fat dairy. Proteins found in milk and yoghurt have been shown to help lower blood pressure. Sadly, this is not true for cream and butter…Choose low fat yoghurt and milk and aim to have 3-4 servings per day. If you are lactose intolerant, try lactose free milk instead.
4. Reduce salt. You don’t need to ban all salt, but you do need to limit very salty foods like crisps, salted peanuts, salted popcorn, ham, bacon, store bought soups (which can be very high in salt), and beware of salt in crackers.
5. Get to a healthy weight or as close as you can. If losing weight was easy, everyone would be slim. However, being overweight does increase blood pressure so even losing a few pounds will make a difference. This does not mean going on a starvation diet! A lot of people find that once they reduce salt and add more fruit and vegetables, that they lose a few pounds anyway.

If you would like some extra help and advice with your weight, you can book an appointment with the Coeliac Society Dietitian at info@coeliac.ie.