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  Heart Foundation
  Health Consumer Organisation

  The Heart Foundation saves lives and improves health through funding world-class cardiovascular research, guidelines for health professionals, informing the public and assisting people with cardiovascular ... View profile

  There are several ways that you can help to keep your blood pressure under control and reduce your risk of cardiovascular disease.
  

  • Have your blood pressure checked regularly, as part of an assessment of your overall risk of heart, stroke and blood vessel disease. The higher your risk, the more often that you should have these checks.
    
  • Achieve and maintain a healthy body weight.
    
  • Be active every day. Do 30 minutes or more of moderate-intensity physical activity on most, if not all, days of the week.
    
  • Be smoke-free.
    
  • Limit your alcohol and salt intake.
    
  • Enjoy healthy eating. Choose mainly plant-based foods, such as vegetables, fruits and legumes (dried peas, dried beans and lentils), and grain-based foods (preferably wholegrain), such as bread, pasta, noodles and rice.
    
  • Consume moderate amounts of lean meats, poultry, fish and reduced fat dairy products, and moderate amounts of polyunsaturated or monounsaturated fat.
    

  
  Measuring your blood pressure at home and/or at work helps your doctor find out what your blood pressure is outside the clinic, during your usual activities. It will also help your doctor know if any prescribed treatment is working.
  
  Source: Information reproduced with permission from www.heartfoundation.org.au. © 2012 National Heart Foundation of Australia. Reply to this post  |  Report
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