Did you know that while most Americans with high blood pressure are taking steps to combat the potentially deadly condition, only 30 percent have it under control?

If you or someone you love has hypertension, there are several steps you can take to help keep it under control:

• Try the D.A.S.H. eating plan: DASH stands for Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension and it is an eating plan that emphasizes fruits, vegetables, and lowfat dairy foods. It is low in saturated fat, total fat and cholesterol. The DASH eating plan includes whole grains, poultry, fish, and nuts and has reduced amounts of fats, red meats, sweets, and sugared beverages.
• Exercise: Get started by doing 30 minutes of a moderate-level activity on most, and preferably all, days of the week. Brisk walking, bicycling, and gardening are examples. You can even divide the 30 minutes into shorter periods of at least 10 minutes each.
• Reduce Salt intake: For someone with high blood pressure, the doctor may advise eating less salt and sodium, as recent research has shown that people consuming diets of 1,500 mg of sodium (that's a little more than 1/2 teaspoon of salt) had even better blood pressure lowering benefits.
• Lay off the Booze: If you drink alcoholic beverages, have only a moderate amount — one drink a day for women; two drinks a day for men.
• Smoking: DON'T SMOKE. If you do, QUIT!
• Lose the extra LBS: Being overweight increases your risk of developing high blood pressure. In fact, blood pressure rises as body weight increases. Losing even 10 pounds can lower blood pressure — and it has the greatest effect for those who are overweight and already have hypertension.
• Medicate: Your doctor can prescribe a medication to lower your blood pressure, especially if you're doing everything listed above but still can't control hypertension.

For more information, visit the U.S. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.

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