Diet for high blood pressure allows you to control blood pressure and function normally. But you have to follow the rules set by your doctor, take medications and eat properly. Find out what diet to use for high blood pressure and what changes to make in your lifestyle.

Hypertension Dietallows you to control your blood pressure and function normally. Every second man and every third middle-aged woman do not know that they have arterial hypertension, because although it is life-threatening - it does not hurt. Carcass is often the cause of trouble - 6 out of 10 adults with hypertension exceed their ideal weight by 20%. However, it is enough to lose a few kilos, andthe pressurewill drop or stabilize. Therefore, it is worth slightly modifying your diet and moving more, because the loss of 1 kg causes a pressure drop by 2-3 mmHg, and 10 kg - by as much as 20-30 mmHg.

Diet for hypertension - rules

In the case of problems with hypertension, we remove from the menu everything that contributes to the increase in pressure, and we add products to it that lower it. Therefore, we limit - to half of the portions eaten so far - white bread, white flour pasta, white rice, fine grain groats and egg yolks.

We completely give up sweets, whole milk and its full-fat preserves, fatty meats and cold cuts, smoked fish, canned food, concentrates, powdered soups, ready-made sauces, yellow cheese, crisps, s alty sticks, peanuts and fast food food. Their place should be taken by products that reduce blood pressure.

Read also:

  • Low cholesterol diet for people suffering from hypertension
  • Diet for obese people who have problems with the heart and circulatory system
  • Low-sodium diet protects against atherosclerosis and hypertension

Diet for hypertension: vegetables and fruits that lower blood pressure

Vegetables that reduce blood pressurePressure-lowering fruit
  • beetroot
  • tomatoes
  • pepper
  • radish
  • onion
  • garlic
  • parsley
  • lettuce
  • broccoli
  • cauliflower
  • spinach
  • Chinese cabbage
  • green peas
  • root and celery
  • cranberry
  • aronia
  • lemons
  • rowan
  • sea buckthorn

Most of these vegetables contain a lot of potassium, which lowers systolic blood pressure by about 5 mmHg, and diastolic blood pressure by nearly 4 mmHg. In addition, it accelerates the excretion of s alt and water, and thus a simple way to lose excess weight. It is also important that the more potassium in a diet, the lower the risk of stroke. But with potassium, people with kidneys must be careful. It is best then to ask the doctor for the opinion. The greatest amount of potassium is in tomatoes (and its products), potatoes, leafy vegetables, citrus and sunflower seeds. The cause of high blood pressure may be a constant vitamin C deficiency. It causes the sustained contraction of blood vessels for a long time. Cabbage, citrus, currants, chokeberry, cranberry are a rich source of this vitamin.

Problem

S alt is found in food not only when we put it there. It's full of canned food and ready-made dishes. Thus, 25 g of canned tomato soup contains 100 mg of sodium. The same is in 5 g of matias herring, 25 g of canned peas, 10 g of brie cheese, 10 g of salami or… a bite of a hamburger. This is proof of how easy it is to exceed the legal limit.

Diet for high blood pressure: much less s alt

Table s alt (sodium chloride) is needed to maintain the acid-base balance inside and outside the cells. But Poles eat 2 to 3 times more s alt than needed, and excess s alt is harmful. Why? Because it causes a greater secretion of angiotensin II - a compound that constricts blood vessels the most. Angiotensin also forces the kidneys to retain s alt and water in the blood, which significantly increases the blood pressure. Therefore, excess s alt is one of the main causes of the so-called idiopathic (primary) hypertension.

Reducing s alt intake to half a teaspoon a day (about 5 g) allows you to reduce blood pressure by 10 mmHg in a few weeks. It is also worth knowing that 1 g of s alt per day is enough for our body to function efficiently. In addition - the less s alt, the more effective anti-pressure drugs are.

S alt can be easily replaced by using caraway seeds, marjoram or other herbs that will definitely add flavor to your food. It is enough to survive for 2 weeks to enjoy the taste of dishes with no or a minimum amount of s alt. And when we learn to use herbs instead, we no longer need it at all.

People who cannot imagine life without s alty taste can save themselves from the so-called dietary s alt, i.e. potassium chloride. It is as s alty as sodium chloride, but it does not raise the pressure because it does not contain sodium. But beware, this advice is only for those with whomthe hypertension is not yet fixed. If we are already treating them and taking medications (ACE inhibitors), ask a doctor if we can use dietary s alt, because excess potassium in the body adversely affects the work of the heart.

Diet for hypertension: good fats, bad fats

At higher pressure values ​​(even those slightly exceeding 130/80), we should avoid animal fats (lard, lard, butter), because they destroy blood vessels and promote atherosclerosis, which significantly increases blood pressure.

Instead, let's reach for vegetable fats, i.e. oils and olive oils. It is worth using walnut and sesame oil and rapeseed oil, because they contain a lot of linolenic (omega-3) and linoleic (omega-6) acids. Both compounds contribute to lowering blood pressure and the level of the so-called bad LDL cholesterol. And it turns out that it's very easy to overdo it.

The liver of a he althy person produces about 3 g of cholesterol. To maintain its concentration at the correct level (140-200 mg / dl), we should provide about 300 mg of this compound in food. However, it is easy to exceed this dose. It is enough to eat egg yolk, 100 g of fatty dairy products or giblets.

In addition, if we eat a lot, fat and sweet, the body produces the so-called bad cholesterol (LDL). When there is too much of it - and this is if the body cannot cope with excess fat - atherosclerotic plaques form. These systematically stick to the walls of blood vessels and block blood flow. We achieve a similar effect when we eat too much saturated fatty acids, which are found in fatty meat, butter or cream.

Check your daily caloric requirement

In case of hypertension, live normally, choose he alth

Nothing bad will happen if you eat a pork knuckle, ribs or breaded pork from time to time. However, keep moderation and proper proportions. Let 3/4 of your plate be cooked vegetables and salads.

Also drink as much as possible. You don't get fat from water, tea or herbs. On the contrary, drinking a glass of water before a meal will help you lose weight. You do not feel acute hunger then, so we eat less. Avoid only carbonated drinks. Often, however, use mineral water without gas, as well as blackcurrant or chokeberry juice (choose low-sugar juices).

People suffering from hypertension do not have to give up alcohol completely. It is enough to limit its consumption. What does it mean? Every day you can drink 1-2 drinks with 25-50 ml of vodka, 1-2 glasses of wine or 0.33-0.5 liters of beer with impunity. Some cardiologists even argue that alcohol in small doses can workpro-he alth, because it reduces stress and has a positive effect on the circulatory system.

Quitting smoking will bring you the most benefits. After 20 minutes, blood pressure and heart rate return to normal, after 48 hours, the sense of taste and smell improves, after 2-12 weeks circulation improves and increases by 30%. lung function. After a year, the risk of cardiovascular disease is reduced by half compared to smokers, after 5 years the likelihood of a stroke is the same as in non-smokers, after 15 years we suffer from coronary heart disease to the same extent as for those who did not smoke. and relax, you will become a happy person.

See the gallery of 6 photosYou must do it
  • If you haven't exercised before, increase your activity gradually.
  • Even a short walk, entering one floor or walking one stop will improve your fitness.
  • Hypertensive patients, regardless of the severity of the disease, are treated with the so-called endurance disciplines, e.g. walking, marching, unforgiving jogging (especially skiing), swimming and cycling, ice skating or hand raking.
  • Exercise the way you like - then it will be easier for you to persevere and work out perfect solutions - doing sports 2-3 times a week for 20-30 minutes. You don't have to be a pro. You just need to move at all. However, when you notice that your breathing has become shallow and you cannot catch your breath due to shortness of breath - stop exercising.

The consequences of neglecting the treatment of hypertension

Long untreated hypertension:

  • accelerates the development of atherosclerosis
  • increases the risk of heart attack
  • threatens with a stroke
  • leads to kidney failure
  • damages your eyesight

Movement important in case of hypertension

Many people with hypertension fear more physical activity because they say it raises blood pressure. This is true, but systematic effort makes your heart, like any other muscle, grow stronger. Movement also helps to open arteries, which lowers blood pressure. However, one caveat is necessary - we start more intense exercise when the pressure is well regulated with medication.

Systematically repeated movement activates the system of muscle pumps (including the heart) and therefore improves circulation. When we sweat, we lose s alt and water from the body, and this helps to lower blood pressure. By moving, we also lose unnecessary kilograms, which also has a positive effect on the circulatory system. Activity also increases the level of the so-called good cholesterol. And exercise in the fresh air has another advantage - it speeds up synthesisvitamin D, the deficiency of which can also cause hypertension.

Don't do that
  • People who find it difficult to keep their emotions in check are not averse to team games, because competition between teams is often an additional stressful stimulus. So we give up football, basketball, volleyball and tennis.
  • Disciplines in which there is a static load on the muscles, e.g. weightlifting, bodybuilding, wrestling, are also inadvisable. Why? The greater the single, short-term physical effort, the greater the pressure jump (e.g. in bodybuilders, systolic pressure jumps up to 400 mmHg are observed).

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Diets