Dear Pumping,

Over the last few years, a lot has been learned about the role of nutrition in maintaining lower blood pressure. Previously, the dietary emphasis was on following a low sodium diet. Today, the treatment of high blood pressure involves looking at a more wholistic combination of factors:

• weight -- following a diet and exercise program that leads to your ideal weight
• increased potassium and calcium intake (especially in men)
• lowered dietary sodium

Specifically, in terms of eating in the cafeteria, try following some of these guidelines:

• At breakfast: Have skim milk or low fat yogurt with cereal to increase your calcium intake.
• At lunch: Add more fresh fruit and vegetables, which will increase your potassium intake. If you need to lose weight, avoid the obvious high fat foods [e.g., burgers and fries (which are also high in sodium as well)]. Instead, try fresh roasted turkey breast. Make sure it's fresh roasted and not the turkey roll, which is more processed and contains more sodium than the fresh breast.
• At dinner: Again, add more steamed veggies (celery, broccoli, and cauliflower are high in both calcium and potassium) and fresh fruits. Look for the healthy apple sign next to foods, and ask the servers about low sodium choices.

Remember that there are many underlying reasons for high blood pressure. You may be naturally thin and eat well and wind up with high blood pressure anyway. Try making an appointment with a provider in primary care, and with one of the nutritionists, by calling x4-2284. Together, you can learn more about what long-term preventative care is suggested in your particular case. For more information on monitoring blood pressure, see Alice's answer to Blood Pressure Numbers.

Alice

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