More and more people are getting high blood pressure, or hypertension. In the US, an estimated 86 million adults had high blood pressure in 2011. Incredibly, this means that hypertension hits more than one third of all Americans. Why is this so bad, and what is hypertension anyway? Blood pressure is a measure of how hard your heart is working. Having hypertension means that the blood pressure in your arteries is more or less constantly elevated, and that makes your heart needs to strain to remain functioantioxidant-fruits.comng and to circulate blood throughout your body. That is why when you have hypertension, you run a greater risk of getting of heart attack, heart failure, stroke, or an aortic aneurysm.
How do you deal with hypertension? The first plan of action should be dietary changes, weight loss, and exercise. One great way to lower blood pressure is to switch to a diet rich in whole grains, nuts, poultry, fish, vegetables, and fruits while limiting your salt intake. This diet is rich in protein, calcium, potassium, and magnesium. Increasing evidence shows that a diet high in naturally occurring potassium is important for controlling blood pressure. This is because the effects of sodium are lessened by potassium, and so also reduces the risks for stroke and hypertension.
Cherries are a great source of potassium, and taste wonderful. There are many cherry types available. One of the earliest available in season is the Chelan cherry. The health benefits of chelan cherries are high, as it not only contains potassium, it’s also a rich source of Vitamin A, C and antioxidants. One of the best was to get the goodness of cherry out-of-season, is to substitute Eden’s Dried Orgaantioxidant-fruits.comc Cherries into one of your favorite fresh pitted cherry recipes.
