This article will provide you with comprehensive dietary advice for prehypertensive and hypertensive blood pressure levels. Here you will find dietary advice to reduce blood pressure
Diet for high blood pressure and hypertension, relationship between diet and blood pressure
If you have poor eating habits, this contributes significantly to unhealthy blood pressure levels, even in middle age, when blood pressure levels typically rise as part of the aging process. Whether or not you take blood pressure medication, the need to make improvements to your diet (for example, following a healthy, low-fat diet) is often at the top of a doctor's list of recommendations to reduce or prevent the onset of arterial hypertension. Before describing the best type of diet for hypertension, let's take a brief look at the health consequences of high blood pressure.
Risks of hypertension and high blood pressure
In both underdeveloped and developed countries, an estimated 20-40% of all adults suffer from persistent high blood pressure. High blood pressure puts pressure on the heart causing atherosclerosis (thickening of the vessels). The result is heart damage, coronary 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 learn that you have high blood pressure, at that time hypertension often affects your vital organs.
Normal vs Prehypertensive and Hypertensive Blood Pressure Levels
The normal blood pressure for a healthy adult at rest is 120 (systolic) over 80 (diastolic) or less. Blood pressure levels above 120/80 and below 140/90 are prehypertensive, while levels above 140/90 are considered hypertensive. Prehypertensive and hypertensive individuals should modify their diet, exercise, and lifestyle to reduce or prevent the onset of hypertension and reduce the risk of heart disease.
Weight increases blood pressure
Overweight people will have high blood pressure. Weight reduction significantly lowers blood pressure. Obese people double their risk of developing the disease. In addition, about 7 out of 10 obese adults suffer from high blood pressure. If you lose even 10 pounds, you can produce noticeable improvements.
Diet tips and tricks for high blood pressure
If you have high blood pressure and are not overweight, here are some tips for controlling your BP.
Choose a healthy and balanced diet
If you want to lower your blood pressure, your diet should be rich in fruits, vegetables, and low-fat dairy products, while 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 DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) diet as a good dietary guide to lowering blood pressure.
The first thing to do is to reduce your sodium (salt) intake
How salt consumption increases blood pressure. Eating too much salt or high sodium foods leads to more fluid absorption and causes more water retention inside the body, leads to volume overload and high blood pressure. It also puts extra pressure on the arterioles (blood vessels that expand/contract to regulate blood pressure and blood flow). Both of these effects lead to higher blood pressure. The recommended daily dose of sodium for most people is 2400 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 is found naturally in fresh foods like grains, fruits, vegetables, meat, nuts, and dairy products, but in much lower amounts than in processed foods (for example, packaged foods, bottled or canned).
Foods High in Sodium
These foods are generally high in sodium. In order not to exceed the RDAs, 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 and monosodium glutamate.
Salty snacks: peanuts, pretzels, pork rinds. Tortilla chips, corn chips
Soup: instant soups, regular canned soups.
Pickled foods: olives or sauerkraut, herring, pickles, relish,
Meats: Smoked or cured meats (containing sodium nitrite) such as bacon, bologna, hot dogs, ham, corned beef, deli meats and sausages, Hogmaws, ribs and andouillettes.
Dairy products: most cheese spreads and cheeses.
Drinks: club soda, saccharin flavored soda,
Cereals: Instant Hot Cereal, Regular Ready-to-Eat Cold Cereal,
Ready-to-eat: canned mixes like rice, scalloped potatoes, macaroni and cheese, and some frozen dinners, pies, and pizzas. Quick-cooking rice, instant noodles,
Fats: Butter, bacon and salt pork.
Check food container labels:
Choose foods labeled as low sodium, very low sodium, or salt-free. Check food labels for words that indicate high sodium content, including: sodium nitrite, sodium propionate, disodium phosphate, and sodium sulfate., monosodium glutamate (MSG), sodium benzoate, sodium hydroxide,
Low sodium eating habits
Do not add extra salt when cooking or preparing meals. Cook with more herbs and spices.
Do not have salt on the table while eating do not add salt on the salad.
If cooking with salt, switch to chili, ginger and lemon juice for flavoring.
If you eat deli meats/smoked, switch to fresh deli meats.
If you eat ready-to-serve breakfast cereals, choose cereals that are lower in sodium.
Rinse before eating, if you eat canned tuna, salmon, sardines or mackerel in water.
If you eat soup, opt for low-sodium or fresh soups.
If cooking with whole milk or a high fat diet, switch to 1% or skim buttermilk.
Remember to follow a less salty diet, your BP will be within normal limits.
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