HEALTH TIPS
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In today post i will like to talk about high blood pressure and how you can control it by proper dieting..first lets get to know what is high blood pressure..
What is high blood pressure?
Blood pressure is the force of blood pushing against blood vessel walls. The heart pumps blood into the arteries (blood vessels) which carry the blood throughout the body. High blood pressure, also called hypertension, means the pressure in your arteries is above the normal range. In most cases, no one knows what causes high blood pressure. What you eat can affect your blood pressure.
How does nutrition affect blood pressure?
- Certain foods can increase blood pressure.
- Certain foods can lower blood pressure.
- Gaining weight can increase blood pressure.
- Losing weight can reduce blood pressure.
What should I eat to control high blood pressure?
- Eat foods lower in fat, salt, and calories.
- Use spices and herbs, vinegar, lemon or fruit juices instead of salt to flavor foods.
- Use less oil, butter, margarine, shortening, and salad dressings.
What are some of the foods I should eat?
- Skim or 1% milk, yogurt, Greek yogurt (calcium-rich foods can lower blood pressure)
- Lean meat
- Skinless turkey and chicken
- Low-salt, ready-to-eat cereals
- Cooked hot cereal (not instant)
- Low-fat and low-salt cheeses
- Fruits (fresh, frozen, or canned without added salt)
- Vegetables (fresh, frozen or canned, no added salt)
- Richly colored green, orange, and red items are high in potassium and minerals that help lower blood pressure.
- The goal is 5-9 servings of fruits and vegetables per day.
- Plain rice, pasta, and potatoes
- Breads (English muffins, bagels, rolls, and tortillas)
- Lower salt "prepared" convenience food
Unsalted seeds (pumpkin, squash, sunflower) and unsalted nuts are mineral-rich foods that lower blood pressure.
What foods should I eat less of?
- Butter and margarine
- Regular salad dressings
- Fatty meats
- Whole milk dairy products
- Fried foods
- Salted snacks
- Canned soups
- Fast foods
- Deli meats
What's the difference between sodium and salt?
Salt is mostly sodium, a mineral that occurs naturally in foods. Sodium is the substance that may cause your blood pressure to increase. Other forms of sodium are also present in food. MSG (monosodium glutamate) is another example of a sodium added to food (common in Chinese food).
How does salt increase blood pressure?
When you eat too much salt, which contains sodium, your body holds extra water to "wash" the salt from your body. In some people, this may cause blood pressure to rise. The added water puts stress on your heart and blood vessels.
How much sodium is too much?
The American Heart Association recommends limiting daily sodium intake no more than 1,500 milligrams. (A teaspoon of salt has about 2,400 milligrams of sodium.) Most people greatly exceed these sodium guidelines.
How can I reduce my sodium intake?
- Don't use table salt.
- Read nutrition labels and choose foods lower in sodium.
- Choose foods marked "sodium-free," "low sodium," and "unsalted."
- Use salt substitutes (ask your health care provider first).
- Don't use lite salt as a substitute.
- Read content labels (Contents are listed in order of greatest amount.)
- Purchase sodium-free herbs and seasoning mixes like Mrs. Dash.
What foods are high in sodium?
- Processed foods such as lunch meats, sausage, bacon, and ham
- Canned soups, bouillon, dried soup mixes
- Deli meats
- Condiments (catsup, soy sauce, salad dressings)
- Frozen and boxed mixes for potatoes, rice, and pasta
- Snack foods (pretzels, popcorn, peanuts, chips)
- Pickled or marinated food in brine. (Vinegar- and lemon juice-based marinades are okay).
What else should I do to change my diet?
- Avoid alcohol.
- Eat a variety of foods.
- Eat foods high in dietary fiber (whole grain breads, cereals, pasta, fresh fruit, and vegetables).
Trace minerals…
A diet that includes natural sources of potassium is important in controlling blood pressure because potassium lessens the effects of sodium. The recommended daily intake of potassium for an average adult is about 4,700 milligrams per day.
Potassium-rich foods include:
- Sweet potatoes
- Potatoes
- Greens
- Spinach
- Mushrooms
- Lima beans
- Peas
- Bananas
- Tomatoes, tomato juice and tomato sauce (look for low-sodium versions)
- Oranges and orange juice
- Cantaloupe and honeydew melon
Is it possible to have too much potassium?
Too much potassium can be harmful in many older persons and those with kidney disorders. Potassium affects the balance of fluids in the body. As we get older, our kidneys become less able to remove potassium from our blood. Therefore, before taking any over-the-counter potassium supplement, consult your healthcare professional.
This is because potassium helps to regulate the electrolyte balance in your body which controls muscle and heart contractions and as previously suggested, sodium and potassium are competing for the same ‘space’. Too much sodium and the potassium loses out, so more potassium and less sodium is the way forward for anyone who has hypertension.
However, a third mineral that is essential in helping to combat hypertension is magnesium because magnesium is essential for the production of adenosine triphosphate or ATP for short.
In essence, ATP is a natural chemical compound inside your body which provides the power or the energy for every individual part of your body to function correctly. When your heart beats, it is the breakdown of ATP that is powering that heartbeat as well as every move every other muscle of your body makes as well.
Adenosine triphosphate is essential if all of your internal bodily balances are to be maintained at the correct levels. Hence having enough magnesium in your body is extremely important, because without magnesium, ATP tends not to do its job correctly. Moreover, as magnesium also helps to control proper muscle function (remember, your heart is nothing but a muscle), making sure that you are taking sufficient amount of magnesium on board every day is essential.
Some foods are naturally rich in magnesium, and if at all possible, you should include a healthy selection of these foods in your diet every day:example of food high in magnesium are: BEAN,BROCCOLI,HALIBUT,PEANUTS,OKRA,OYSTERS,PLANTAIN,ROCK FISH,SCALLOP,PUMPKIN AND SQUASH,SOY MILK e.t.c
In this way, you avoid the necessity of taking supplements to add additional trace minerals to your diet, which is always a wise move because it is almost impossible to take on board too much magnesium from food whereas the same cannot always be said if you are using supplements.
you are what you eat..so eat right to avoid high blood pressure ..please leave your comment
thanks
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