Natural Ways to Lower Blood Pressure

Julia Stanislavskaia, RD, cautions that those low-sodium labels can be misleading. “Remember that most salt comes from packaged goods, and what you add during cooking makes up only about 10 percent of our salt consumption, so check the nutrition label so you’re choosing foods that have less than 200 mg of sodium per serving,” she says.

Huston notes that while reducing your sodium intake to 1,500 mg per day has the greatest effect on lowering blood pressure, 2,000 to 2,300 mg per day may be more realistic for active individuals.