Foods For High Blood Pressure

 The Best Diet to Prevent High Blood Pressure  

Diet plays an important role in developing or preventing Hypertension. There are foods for high blood pressure which should be avoided as much as possible and of course there are those which should be taken in abundance. In general, a hypertension diet is quite similar to other diets for other medical conditions. But here are some key dietary elements to prevent high blood pressure naturally.

High consumption of salt has been directly linked to Essential Hypertension. Therefore it is important to lessen salt intake. NIH (National Institute of Health) recommends that people limit their intake of salt to 2.4 mg per day. Aside from cutting down the amount of salt you put in your food, it would also help if you check the amount of sodium in the processed food you eat. However, decreasing your salt intake would not be effective in lowering the blood pressure unless it is paired with higher potassium intake.

You should also avoid sauces such as soy sauce, salad dressings and baking powder and soda as well as cured meat and salted chips as all of these have high salt content. Although it is not fully understood how, sugar has an effect in increasing the blood pressure. The possible explanation is that sugar heightens the production of adrenaline which in turn is responsible for constricting the blood vessels and elevating the blood pressure. Therefore, just like salt, sugar intake should be decreased as much as possible. 

Of course not all sugars are created equally. What we mean by this is that eating a bunch of refined sugars for example chocolates on an empty stomach makes huge spikes in blood sugar levels. However eating sugar in the form of fruit is much easier on the body as the fructose or fruit sugar is bound up with fiber. So the absorption of the sugar is much slower and thus easier on the body. Whenever possible if you eat something sugary do so on a full stomach to slow down the absorption rate.

Other food which should be avoided to prevent high blood pressure also includes meats, canned or instant soups, pickled food, salted snacks, dairy (particularly cheese) and fats including butter and salt pork.

Even though there are those which should be avoided, there are also food for Hypertension which can be taken in abundance. Both the American Heart Association and the US government recommend the Dietary Approach to Stop Hypertension or also known as the DASH diet. DASH diet includes plenty of fresh fruits and vegetable low-fat dairy food and whole grains. It has a well-balanced approach which also includes meat, poultry, fish, nuts and beans in the diet and limits the intake of sugar and other processed food.

A high-fiber diet will also be of great help not just to people with hypertension but also to those who have other forms of cardiovascular diseases. Fiber also helps people from developing Hypertension as it helps reduce cholesterol and promote weight loss.

Consumption of potassium should also be increased as an answer to the decreased intake of salt or sodium. Food which are rich in potassium include bananas, apricots, prune and prune juice, pumpkin, peaches, orange juice, potatoes and sweet potatoes. Other food which are advisable to prevent high blood pressure include complex carbohydrates, polyunsaturated fats, calcium (broccoli, spinach, yogurt, tofu, turnip greens), magnesium (soy milk, plantain, scallops, mackerel, sea bass, whole wheat bread) and vitamins A and C.

A great tip for people with Hypertension is to check the label of different food. Choose those which say “very low sodium” or “salt free.” If you are the one cooking, limit the amount of salt you put in or better yet, eliminate it totally. You can instead try lemon, chili or ginger to add flavor to the food.

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