Blood is pumped through arteries. The pressure is when the blood presses against these artery walls. If you are obese then the heart has to pump harder to get all the blood around the extra body fat which is bad for the heart. If you eat too much salt then the artery walls constrict (get smaller) and you get high blood pressure. Smoking keeps your blood pressure higher than it normally should be, same with alcohol. To keep your blood pressure normal kill the salt, keep fit by exercising 3 times a week (the heart is a muscle), do not become overweight or drink alcohol in excess and be stress free.Just to add about cholesterol. There is good cholesterol and bad cholesterol so avoid bad fats. Good fats are like olive oil and avacados. High cholesterol causes fatty deposits to build up in the artery walls which cause disturbances to the blood flow. If a piece of this fatty deposit breaks off and travels to the brain then you can have a stroke. And don t eat sugar at all. Just natural sugars you find in fruits. Our body makes its own sugar when we eat healthy carbs and doesn t need any more from us. Too much sugar (that we eat or drink) gets turned into fat by our liver and can cause diabetes.