Blood pressure nutrition- Medical nutrition therapy and methods to improve blood pressure with nutrition

Blood pressure

High Blood Pressure Dietitian-
Expert nutrition advice

Lower your blood pressure and reduce the risk of heart attacks, strokes and kidney disease.

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What is High Blood Pressure (Hypertension)?

Think of your cardiovascular system like the plumbing in a house. Blood pressure is the physical force your blood exerts against the walls of your arteries as your heart pumps it around your body.

When you get your blood pressure read, you see two numbers (for example, 120/80):

  • Systolic (The top number): The pressure in your arteries when your heart beats and actively pumps blood.

 

  • Diastolic (The bottom number): The pressure in your arteries when your heart rests between beats.

Demonstration of blood pressure systolic and diastolic measurements including pulse

When these numbers stay consistently elevated above normal ranges (typically anything consistently over 130/80 mmHg), you have high blood pressure, medically known as Hypertension.

Over time, this constant high pressure acts like a mechanical pressure washer, damaging the delicate inner lining of your arteries and forcing your heart to work dangerously hard.

What causes high blood pressure?

For roughly 90% of people, there is no single, isolated cause of high blood pressure (this is called Primary or Essential Hypertension). Instead, it is the result of a compounding “perfect storm” of lifestyle and genetic factors, including:

  • Poor Metabolic Health: Excess visceral fat (the fat stored around your organs) and insulin resistance actively stiffen your blood vessels.

  • Dietary Imbalances: A diet extremely high in sodium (salt) and ultra-processed foods, combined with a severe lack of dietary potassium.

  • Chronic Stress: Long-term stress keeps your sympathetic nervous system locked in “fight or flight,” constantly constricting your blood vessels.

  • Sedentary Lifestyle: A lack of cardiovascular exercise prevents your blood vessels from staying flexible and dilating properly.

  • Alcohol & Smoking: Both actively damage blood vessel elasticity and trigger acute spikes in blood pressure.

  • Sleep Apnea: Untreated sleep apnea causes severe oxygen drops at night, forcing the heart to pump harder and spiking morning blood pressure.

What we can do

How is high blood pressure diagnosed?

Diagnosis is usually done with a standard inflatable blood pressure cuff (sphygmomanometer) at your GP’s office. However, getting an accurate reading is incredibly easy to get wrong.

Here are the most common mistakes during the diagnosis process:

  • White Coat Syndrome: Feeling anxious simply because you are in a doctor’s office can artificially spike your blood pressure by 10 to 20 points.

  • Not Resting First: You must sit quietly in a chair with your feet flat on the floor for at least 5 minutes before the cuff is inflated.

  • Talking During the Test: Having a conversation while the machine is running can artificially inflate your reading.

  • Wrong Cuff Size: If the cuff is too small for your arm, it will read artificially high. If it is too large, it will read artificially low.

The Gold Standard: If your doctor suspects your clinic readings are inaccurate, they will order a 24-Hour Ambulatory Blood Pressure Monitor. You wear a small cuff for a full day and night, giving a perfectly accurate picture of your true average pressure.

How common is hypertension?

In Australia, hypertension is incredibly common, affecting roughly 1 in 3 adults (around 34% of the population).

The most dangerous aspect of high blood pressure is that it is almost always completely asymptomatic. It is universally known as the “silent killer.” You will not feel dizzy, tired, or sick when your blood pressure is 150/90. It works silently in the background, making it the leading preventable risk factor for heart attacks, strokes, and kidney failure.

How is hypertension treated? (The REAL Nutrition Approach)

While medication is an excellent and often necessary tool, your lifestyle and diet are the engine that controls your vascular health. At REAL Health & Nutrition, we do not just tell you to “stop eating salt.” We focus on proactive, realistic Medical Nutrition Therapy to relax your blood vessels and improve your heart health:

1. The “Anti-Sodium” Strategy (Increase Potassium & magnesium)

Everyone talks about reducing sodium, but increasing your Potassium & magnesium are arguably just as important. Potassium naturally relaxes the walls of your blood vessels and helps your kidneys flush excess sodium out of your body through your urine. We focus on building a diet rich in potatoes, leafy greens, tomatoes, and beans to hit optimal potassium targets.

2. Implement DASH & Mediterranean Principles

The DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) diet is one of the most clinically proven diets in history for lowering blood pressure. We help you realistically adapt these principles—focusing on high-calcium, high-magnesium, and high-fiber whole foods—without making you feel miserable or restricted.

3. Improve Body Composition & Insulin Resistance

Losing just 5% of your total body weight (specifically targeting visceral fat) can cause a massive drop in your blood pressure. We build sustainable, high-protein nutrition strategies that help you drop body fat and improve insulin sensitivity, which physically allows your arteries to dilate and relax.

4. Smart Sodium Reduction

Over 70% of the sodium in the average diet comes from packaged, ultra-processed foods and restaurant meals, not the salt shaker on your table. We help you identify hidden sodium bombs and teach you how to flavor food aggressively using herbs, spices, and citrus, so you actually enjoy your meals while protecting your heart.

5. Alcohol Moderation

Alcohol is a direct vasoconstrictor (it shrinks your blood vessels). We work with you to establish realistic, sustainable alcohol habits that fit your social life but protect your cardiovascular system.

When should you see a Doctor?

Because hypertension is silent, regular screening is non-negotiable. Every adult should have their blood pressure checked by a GP at least once a year.

You should see a doctor immediately if you experience a “hypertensive crisis”—a sudden, severe spike in blood pressure (usually 180/120 or higher) accompanied by severe headaches, chest pain, shortness of breath, blurred vision, or dizziness. Furthermore, if your GP prescribes blood pressure medication, take it. Medication is not a failure; it is a vital tool to protect your organs while we work together to fix the underlying lifestyle factors.

When should you see a Dietitian for high blood pressure?

You should see an Accredited Practising Dietitian (APD) as soon as you are diagnosed with hypertension, or if your GP warns you that you are in the “elevated” or “pre-hypertensive” range.

Navigating the internet for blood pressure advice usually results in overwhelming, bland, and highly restrictive diet plans that nobody can stick to for more than a week.

A REAL Dietitian takes the guesswork out of the process. We look at your routine, your food preferences, and your bloodwork, and build a tailored, zero-fad nutrition strategy that brings your numbers down while letting you actually enjoy your life.

Accredited Practising Dietitians (APDs) are experts who can provide evidence-based, personalised advice and help you find a symptom-friendly diet.

Why Choose REAL for Supporting Your Heart Health?

At REAL Health & Nutrition, we believe you shouldn’t have to have a poor quality of life when choosing to improve your health.

Our Accredited Practising Dietitians use evidence-based Medical Nutrition Therapy to help you navigate high blood pressure and have confidence in your health.

Realistic nutrition solutions

REAL Health & Nutrition was founded in Melbourne by Matthew Rigoni alongside a passionate team that provides evidence-based nutrition strategies that fit into your life.

Our diverse clientele includes individuals seeking to manage chronic disease, enhance their energy, and those aiming to improve their healthspan and longevity through sustainable health and nutrition strategies.

Matthew Rigoni, expert Dietitian and sports dietitian- REAL Health & Nutrition

Practitioners

Meet the team

Highly skilled and qualified Dietitians and Sport Nutritionists

  • Matthew Rigoni Accredited Practising Dietitian (APD), sport Nutritionist, Accredited Sport Dietitian (ASD)

    Matthew Rigoni

    Head Dietitian (APD) & Sports Nutritionist

    Matthew Rigoni is an Accredited Practising Dietitian and Sports Nutritionist supporting clients across Eltham, Diamond Creek and Melbourne’s North-East. He specialises in weight management, chronic disease care, IBS/low-FODMAP nutrition, and sports-performance nutrition. His approach focuses on evidence-based, realistic strategies tailored to each client’s health goals. Matthew also brings experience in strength training and rehabilitation, helping clients build long-term, sustainable habits.

  • Max Dennehy Dietitian, body building coach

    Max Dennehy

    Dietitian and Bodybuilding Coach

    Max Dennehy is a qualified Dietitian with strong expertise in sports nutrition, weight loss, muscle gain and body recomposition. He has more than seven years of hands-on experience in bodybuilding and strength training, blending clinical nutrition with practical performance coaching. Max supports clients managing chronic conditions, improving metabolic health, and achieving body-composition goals. His coaching style is structured and supportive, helping clients stay consistent and confident.

  • Emma Westlake Accredited Sports Nutritionist

    Emma Westlake

    Accredited Sports Nutritionist

    Emma Westlake is a Nutritionist and Accredited Sports Nutritionist with experience in athletic performance, endurance nutrition, injury recovery and rehabilitation. She brings a strong background in Biomedical Science and works with clients to improve energy, health and long-term wellbeing. Emma has supported athletes across AFL/AFLW, triathlon and running communities, offering clear and practical guidance. Her passion lies in helping active individuals optimise performance through personalised, evidence-based nutrition.

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This commitment ensures you always receive the most current, evidence-based nutrition guidance available.

Frequently Asked Blood Pressure Questions

Common questions for high blood pressure

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    While long-term nutrition takes a few weeks to show full results, you can see rapid, acute drops in your blood pressure by severely limiting alcohol, practicing deep breathing or meditation (to calm the sympathetic nervous system), prioritizing a good night’s sleep, and temporarily pulling back on highly processed, salty takeout foods.

    Yes, but they aren’t magic. Bananas are famous for their potassium content, which helps your body flush out sodium and relax blood vessels.

    However, a single banana only contains about 400mg of potassium. Foods like potatoes, spinach, and avocados actually contain significantly more potassium per serving!

    Caffeine causes a short-term, acute spike in blood pressure immediately after drinking it.

    However, for most people who drink coffee regularly, their bodies build a tolerance, and it does not significantly impact their long-term resting blood pressure.

    If you are highly sensitive to caffeine, we may recommend limiting it (but most often it is ok in moderation)

    DASH stands for Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension.

    It is an evidence-based eating pattern that is clinically proven to lower blood pressure. It focuses heavily on increasing fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and low-fat dairy, which naturally floods your body with the exact minerals (potassium, calcium, and magnesium) needed to relax your arteries.

    The Heart Foundation recommends that adults with high blood pressure aim for less than 2,000 mg of sodium per day (roughly equivalent to 1 teaspoon of table salt).

    Remember, the vast majority of this sodium comes hidden in packaged foods, breads, sauces, and restaurant meals.

    Chronic dehydration causes your blood to become thicker and prompts your brain to release a hormone that constricts your blood vessels, both of which increase your blood pressure.

    Staying optimally hydrated helps your heart pump blood more easily and supports your kidneys in flushing out excess sodium.

    No. This is a very common myth. Himalayan pink salt, sea salt, and standard table salt all contain roughly the exact same amount of sodium by weight.

    Your blood vessels cannot tell the difference between “fancy” salt and cheap salt. Reducing your total overall intake is what actually matters.

Extra reading

Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. (2023). High blood pressure. Australian Government. https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/risk-factors/high-blood-pressure

National Heart Foundation of Australia. (n.d.). Blood pressure and your heart. https://www.heartfoundation.org.au/heart-health-education/blood-pressure-and-your-heart

National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. (2021). DASH eating plan. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/education/dash-eating-plan

Royal Australian College of General Practitioners. (2016). Guidelines for preventive activities in general practice (9th ed.). https://www.racgp.org.au/clinical-resources/clinical-guidelines/key-racgp-guidelines/view-all-racgp-guidelines/red-book

World Health Organization. (2012). Guideline: Potassium intake for adults and children. https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789241504829

World Health Organization. (2012). Guideline: Sodium intake for adults and children. https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789241504836