Hypertension Diet

Hypertension diet plan, exercise, recommendations and guidelines

The recommended diet for high blood pressure is that which has been standardized by medical professionals who are experts in the area of hypertension. This diet is a solution to hypertension treatment. Most people are ignorant of the fact that what you eat affects your chances of developing hypertension. It is no secret that millions of people have absolutely total disregard for what they eat on a day to day basis. Therein lays the dangers of what people eat.

It must be noted that being on a hypertension diet does remove the role of hypertension medications. In fact after dignosis your doctor will determine whether to add drugs or just recommend lifestlye change.

In general and effectively so, high blood pressure can be lowered by less consumption of sodium. This sodium is not the same as table salt in that it doesn't necessarily refer to salt in a salt shaker on your dinner table. It's, more than that and something different and actually embedded in thousands of processed food products. Almost each and every processed food product on a store shelf has sodium in it. Lowering your overall daily sodium intake will help prevent, control high blood pressure and even eliminate it in people suffering from essential hypertension. The recommended daily level of sodium consumption is 2300mg at its peak or even better 1500mg per day.

The best and recommended hypertension diet plan is that with 2300mg of sodium intake per day which is equivalent to a teaspoon in combination with DASH. DASH is a scientifically arrived at high blood pressure diet which stands for Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension. It is a diet that was developed by the United States National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI).It is shocking that adults in America, the western world and large cities in general consume up to 4200mg of sodium per day for men and 3300mg per day for women.

DASH is an effective health eating plan. It provides sound dietary guidelines for hypertension patients keen to control or even eliminate high blood pressure through what they eat. Foods that lower blood pressure are embedded in this eating plan which is low in saturated fat, cholesterol, and total fat. Fruits and vegetables that lower blood pressure are included in DASH including fat-free or low-fat milk and milk products. This diet for hypertension also includes fish, poultry and nuts as well as whole grain products.

Red meat (beef, oxtail, lamb, ostrich meat), sweets, added sugars and sugar containing beverages are eliminated in this special professionally assembled hypertension diet. They are the order of the day at thousands of fast food outlets across the world opposing a heart healthy living. Instead the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension are rich in potassium, magnesium and calcium as well as fibre.

It must be noted that there are specific recipes for high blood pressure that have been developed with hypertension in mind.

A look at the sample DASH hypertension diet presented at the end of this article will show that DASH involves some rather drastic changes to lifestyles. It is interesting to note that even though DASH produces the best sets of hypertension diets, eating lots of fruits and vegetables atop your normal daily diet produces positive results. This is a good start instead of engaging full gear into DASH. However with DASH blood pressure reduction can be experienced within two weeks of starting the high blood pressure eating plan.

The diet for high blood pressure does not in anyway suggest abandoning medication for those with hypertension, this needs to be repeated. In fact some people at an increased risk of heart disease, or stroke will require medication and not rely only on a specially crafted hypertension diet. It also does not mean the place for exercise to lose weight and keep healthy no longer exists. Hypertension and diet are very good considerations so is the strong link between exercise and blood pressure.

The most noticeable side effects of a hypertension diet such as DASH is bloating and diarrhea. This has been noted to be a result of high fiber in the diet. The solution is to gradually increase the intake of fruit, vegetables and whole grain foods. All in all whichever blood pressure diet you decide to pursue, decreasing sodium intake is of paramount importance. Sodium is thought to cause hypertension as it increases the amount of fluid in your bloodstream which in turn increases pressure on blood vessels and causes your heart to work harder. A basic definition of blood pressure is when a volume of blood forces its way against constricted artery walls.

hypertension diet food label It must be remembered that the greatest amounts of sodium combined is in processed foods. Not that table salt as we know it in the restaurant or at the dinner table should be abused. Since much of the salt is at your nearest store, it is therefore of paramount importance to read food labels when visiting a store for home supplies. The following is a limited list of some of the processed foods with varying levels of sodium;

Baked goods
Certain Cereals
Soy Sauce
Seasoned Salts
Baking Soda
Monosodium Glutamate (MSG)
Antacids

Some supplements such as glucosamine are a bad idea when considering hypertension. This have sodium in them which is bad for people attempting to control, prevent or treat hypertension. There is therefore a link between glucosamine and blood pressure.

The following is a 2300mg sodium per day hypertension diet or diet for high blood pressure for Day 1 under the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension - DASH; (the amounts in mg in brackets stand for amounts of sodium in each item)

BREAKFAST

3/4 cup bran flakes cereal (220mg)
1 medium banana (1mg)
1 cup low-fat milk (107mg)
1 slice whole wheat bread (149mg)
1 teaspoon soft(tub) margarine (26mg)
1 cup orange juice (5mg)

LUNCH

3/4 cup chicken salad (179mg)
2 slices whole wheat bread (299mg)
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard (373mg)
salad
1/2 cup fresh cucumber slices (1mg)
1/2 cup tomato wedges (5mg)
1 Tablespoon sunflower seeds (0mg)
1 teaspoon Italian dressing, low calorie (43mg)
1/2 cup fruit cocktail, juice pack (5mg)

DINNER

3 oz beef, eye of the round (35mg)
2 tablespoon beef gravy, fat-free(165mg)
1 cup green beans, sauteed with (below): (12mg)
1/2 teaspoon canola oil (0mg)
1 small baked potato (14mg)
1 tablespoon sour cream, fat-free(21mg)
1 tablespoon grated natural cheddar cheese, reduced fat(67mg)
1 Tablespoon chopped scallions (1mg)
1 small whole wheat roll (148mg)
1 teaspoon soft (tub) margarine (26mg)

1 small apple (1mg)
1 cup low-fat-milk (107mg)

SNACKS

1/3 cup almonds, unsalted (0mg)
1/4 cup raisins (4mg)
1/2 cup fruit yogurt, fat-free, no sugar added (86mg)

TOTAL SODIUM IN THIS MENU - 2101mg

The DASH approach has 7 days of unique menus each for each day. Total sodium consumed in these menus will slightly fluctuate but will not exceed 2300mg. As you might have noticed in this Day 1 menu there is no inclusion of garlic. It is so through out to Day 7 of DASH. There are numerous assertions around garlic and high blood pressure as well as caffeine and blood pressure.

Hypertension Diet

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