One in five of my girlfriends may have high blood pressure! These statistics from the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada are a startling reminder of a serious health issue:
• 15.7% of women age 12 to 44 have high blood pressure.
• 21.3% of women age 45 to 64 have high blood pressure.
• 47.9% of women age 65 and older have high blood pressure.

And women with high blood pressure have three-and-a-half-times the risk for heart disease. These numbers really send the message home that heart disease is the number one killer of women in Canada.

We all know that eating less salty foods is good for lowering your blood pressure. But did you know that your efforts are boosted when you also eat foods that are high in potassium? A study in the current issue of The Archives of Internal Medicine shows that boosting your potassium intake while lowering your sodium intake is more effective than doing either of them alone.

For nutrition tips on consuming less salt and more potassium, check out “Eat Your Way To Lower Blood Pressure” and “5 Reasons To Eat More Berries”.

— Lisa Hannam

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