What is high blood pressure?

What is high blood pressure?

When your GP measures your blood pressure, they are taking a measure of the blood passing through the blood vessels and the amount of resistance the blood meets while the heart is pumping. This pressure indicates the force inflicted on the walls of your arteries as blood is pumped around the body. You need a certain amount of pressure to keep blood flowing but if the pressure is too high it can create microscopic tears in the artery walls and speed up the condition commonly referred to as ‘hardening of the arteries.’ If you are told your blood pressure is high – a condition also known as hypertension – this means the the force of blood pushing through your blood vessels is higher than is considered healthy.

High blood pressure rarely has symptoms and for most people, the only way of knowing they have the condition is to have their blood pressure measured. People with high blood pressure are at greater risk of having a heart attack or stroke. However, the good news is, if you do have high blood pressure, there are ways of bringing it down, including through diet.

Know your numbers

Your heart is a pump that beats by contracting and then relaxing. The pressure of the blood flowing through the arteries varies at different times in the heartbeat cycle. A blood pressure reading gives two numbers – the first number is the systolic pressure, when the heart contracts and forces blood round your body. The diastolic pressure is the second, lower value and is the pressure recorded between heartbeats, when the heart is resting.

Normal blood pressure readings for adults are between:

90/60 mmHg and 120/80 mmHg

High blood pressure readings for adults are between:

135/85 mmHg or higher if taken at home and 140/90 mmHg or higher if taken in a GP surgery, hospital or a pharmacy.

For more information, refer to the NHS website

Learn more about checking your blood pressure at home.

Note – if either your systolic or diastolic readings are high, this can indicate high blood pressure.

What diet and lifestyle changes help blood pressure?

Managing your weight

Achieving and maintaining a healthy body weight is the most important recommendation for those with high blood pressure. For some people, even losing modest amounts of weight can lead to a reduction in blood pressure. However, aim to lose weight slowly and healthily (ideally between 1lb and 2lbs a week that’s 0.45kg – 0.9kg) to increase your chances of keeping it off. Regular exercise may help reduce blood pressure and plays an important part in losing weight.

Skip the salt

There’s a link between having too much salt in your diet and having high blood pressure. Most of us consume more salt (sodium) than we need. The target is to have no more than 6g of salt per day. Food labelling laws require salt to be presented on the food label – getting into the habit of checking before you buy packaged foods can help you choose lower salt versions where relevant.

Reducing the amount of salt you eat may help keep your blood pressure down. If this is relevant for you, aim to cook without adding any salt, and avoid adding salt at the table. Instead use herbs and spices to flavour your food. That said, the majority of the salt we eat is hidden in processed foods, so you should check the ingredient labels on foods and opt for the ones which have the least salt. Avoid foods that are known to be salty – such as sauces, canned soups, processed meats, salted nuts and snacks such as crisps and biscuits. Many basic foods such as bread and cereals also contain a lot of salt.

Try our low-salt recipes:
Low-salt breakfast
Low-salt lunch
Low-salt dinner

Fruit and vegetables

Fruit and vegetables contain potassium, which helps to balance excess sodium (salt) in the body. Aim to include potassium-rich foods such as bananas, apricots, green leafy vegetables and citrus fruits like oranges, daily.

However, before significantly increasing your intake of potassium, check with your doctor. Some people, for example those with kidney disease, may need to avoid both potassium and salt.

Try some of these fruit and veg-packed recipes:
Forest fruit & banana smoothie
Summer fruit compote
Mixed vegetable tagine

Alcohol

If you do enjoy the occasional alcoholic beverage, be sure to stick to Government guidelines – that’s no more than 14 units per week, spread across three days or more. Alcohol is high in calories and so contributes to weight gain. Remember intakes above 12g per day (the amount found in 280-330ml beer / 100-120ml wine), is associated with hypertension.

For more information on alcohol consumption, visit drinkaware.co.uk.

The DASH diet

Developed by America’s National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI), the DASH diet has been successful in helping people to lower their blood pressure. The acronym stands for ‘Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension’ and the first principle recommends you cut right back on the amount of salt you eat. The diet is rich in vegetables, fruit and low-fat dairy foods and restricts saturated fat. Long-term benefits of this eating plan depend on the ability of individuals to make long-lasting dietary changes.

If you are thinking of trying the DASH diet check with your GP first in case there are any special circumstances that might make it unsuitable for you.

Other lifestyle factors that may help to lower blood pressure include avoid smoking and minimising stress through relaxation. For more information on blood pressure and keeping yours at a healthy level visit bloodpressureuk.org.

Enjoyed this? Now read…

Spotlight on… heart disease
What is diabetes?
What are heart-healthy portions?
Understanding high cholesterol
10 ways to lower cholesterol

This article was last reviewed on 12^th March 2025 by Kerry Torrens.

All health content on goodfood.com is provided for general information only, and should not be treated as a substitute for the medical advice of your own doctor or any other health care professional. If you have any concerns about your general health, you should contact your local health care provider. See our website terms and conditions for more information.