This article will provide you with comprehensive dietary advice for pre-hypertensive and hypertensive blood pressure levels. Here are diet tips to lower blood pressure
Diet for high blood pressure and hypertension, relationship between diet and blood pressure
If you have poor eating habits, then this is a major contributor to unhealthily high blood pressure, even in middle age, when blood pressure usually rises as part of the aging process. Regardless of whether you take antihypertensive drugs or not, the need to make dietary improvements (such as following a healthy, low-fat diet) is often at the top of your doctor's list of recommendations to reduce or prevent high blood pressure. Before we outline the best type of diet for hypertension, let's take a quick look at the health implications of high blood pressure.
Danger of hypertension and high blood pressure
In both less developed and developed countries, an estimated 20-40 percent of all adults suffer from persistent high blood pressure. High blood pressure puts a strain on the heart and causes atherosclerosis (thickening of the blood vessels). The result is heart damage, ischemic heart disease, kidney failure, stroke, eye damage. The choice is yours, try to save these vital organs by controlling your BP. Remember that hypertension is a silent killer, it shows its effects silently and when you find you have high blood pressure, at that time hypertension often affects your vital organs.
Normal blood pressure values vs. prehypertension and hypertensive
Normal resting blood pressure for a healthy adult is 120 (systolic) over 80 (diastolic) or less. Blood pressure levels above 120/80 and below 140/90 are in the prehypertension stage, while levels above 140/90 are considered the hypertensive stage. Both prehypertension and hypertensive subjects should make diet, exercise, and lifestyle changes to reduce or prevent the onset of hypertension and reduce the risk of heart disease.
Weight increases blood pressure
People who are overweight will have high blood pressure. Weight reduction significantly lowers blood pressure. People with obesity double the risk of developing this disorder. Additionally, roughly 7 out of 10 obese adults have high blood pressure. Losing even 10 pounds can make noticeable improvements.
Diet advice and tips for high blood pressure
If you have high blood pressure and are not overweight, here are some tips to control your BP.
Choose a healthy balanced diet
If you want to lower your blood pressure, your diet should be rich in fruits, vegetables and low-fat dairy foods, while also being low in saturated and trans fats. It should also be low in cholesterol, high in fiber, calcium, potassium and magnesium and moderately high in protein. The American Heart Association and the US government recommend the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet as a good dietary guide to lower blood pressure.
The first thing is to reduce sodium (salt) intake
How salt intake increases blood pressure. Eating too much salt or sodium-rich foods leads to more fluid intake and causes more water retention in the body, leading to volume overload and high blood pressure. It also puts increased stress on arterioles (blood vessels that dilate/constrict to regulate blood pressure and blood flow). Both of these effects lead to higher blood pressure. The recommended daily intake of sodium for most people is 2,400 mg.
You can reduce your sodium intake
How can you reduce sodium intake? Eat less pre-cooked or processed foods and eat more fresh foods. Sodium occurs naturally in fresh foods such as grains, fruits, vegetables, meat, nuts, and dairy products, but in much smaller amounts than in processed foods (such as packaged, bottled, or canned).
Foods high in sodium
These foods are usually high in sodium. To avoid exceeding the RDA, either avoid them altogether or choose low-sodium varieties.
Sauces: baking soda, barbecue sauce, ketchup, garlic salt, mustard, onion salt, soy sauce, steak sauce, salad dressing, baking powder, mustard, onion salt, seasoned salts like lemon pepper, bouillon cubes, meat tenderizer.
Salty snacks: peanuts, pretzels, pork rinds. Tortilla chips, corn chips
Soup: instant soups, regular canned soups.
Pickled foods: olives or sauerkraut, herring, pickled cucumbers, seasoning,
Meat: Smoked or cured meats (containing sodium nitrite) such as bacon, bologna sausage, hot dogs, ham, corned beef, lunch and sausage, warts, ribs and chitterlings.
Dairy: Most cheese spreads and cheeses.
Drinks: lemonade, saccharin-flavored soda,
Cereals: Instant hot cereals, regular ready-to-eat cold cereals,
Ready-to-Eat: Packaged mixes like rice, scalloped potatoes, macaroni and cheese, and some frozen dinners, pies, and pizza. Quick rice, instant noodles,
Fats: Butter, pork fat and salt.
Check food container labels:
Choose those foods that are labeled as low sodium, very low sodium, or no salt. Check food labels for words that indicate high sodium content, including: sodium nitrite, sodium propionate, sodium phosphate and sodium sulfate, (MSG), sodium benzoate, sodium hydroxide,
Low sodium eating habits
Do not add extra salt when cooking or preparing food.
Do not put salt on the table while eating, do not put salt in the salad.
If you cook with salt, switch to chili, ginger and lemon juice for seasoning.
If you eat smoked meat, switch to fresh cold meats.
If you eat ready-to-serve breakfast cereals, choose low-sodium varieties.
Rinse before eating if you eat tuna, salmon, sardines or mackerel canned in water.
If you eat soup, switch to low sodium or fresh soups.
If you cook with whole milk or a high-fat diet, switch to 1 percent or skim buttermilk.
Remember that by eating a less salty diet, your blood pressure will be within normal limits.
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