Are you in menopause?

Is a friend or family members nearing or in menopause?

Menopause is a time when the risk for high blood pressure increases.

There are many safe and effective actions you can take to reduce this risk. High blood pressure or hypertension effects more than half of all women over the age of 65. If you are post-menopausal and smoke, are highly stressed, overweight, use stimulants (such as caffeine in drinks or chocolate), abuse prescription or over-the-counter drugs, or ingest too much sodium, you may be increasing your risk for high blood pressure to develop or increase.

One of the key ways to reduce blood pressure is to increase your intake of potassium, a mineral that is often sadly lacking in American diets.

The recommended potassium level is 3,500 mg, yet most of us ingest half of that amount. Research has shown that just taking in more potassium may be just as effective as drug therapy for lowering blood pressure.

How do you put more potassium into your daily regime? Fruits and vegetables are your best bet. Here are some of the best: a 7-ounce baked potato with the skin (700 mg), a banana (500 mg), a cup of raw spinch (300 mg), a cup of strawberries (250 mg). If you eat four servings each of fruits and vegetables daily you will meet a healthy potassium quota, not to mention the other health-producing vitamins and minerals you'll be ingesting.

Some other things you can do to reduce blood pressure include yoga, walking, and eating garlic, eating vitamin E-rich foods (olive oil wheatgerm,peanuts, outer leaves of cauliflower and broccoli, eggs and sweet potatoes), and eating more fish or taking fish oil capsules.

Copyright 2006 www.carolynchambersclark.com

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