High blood pressure is a curse of modern society, to a certain extent. It is due to lifestyle changes, fast paced life, tension-full life and the type of food we eat. Normally, pressure in blood vessels is necessary for maintaining the blood flow, diffusion of nutrients to the tissues and removal of waste products from the tissues. Normal blood pressure in the arteries of adults is 100 to 140 mmHg during contraction of the heart (systolic pressure) and 62 to 90 mmHg (diastolic pressure) when the heart relaxes in between. When both or one of the pressures remains elevated persistently due to various internal or external factors, the condition that arises is termed as high blood pressure or hypertension. High blood pressure itself can cause vague problems like headache, fatigue, giddiness, palpitation, irritation, anger, difficulty in breathing, etc. If blood pressure remains elevated for a longer time, important organs like heart, brain, kidneys, eyes, etc. can be damaged leading to serious consequences and even death.
To some extent, high blood pressure may be hereditary; if father and/or mother have high blood pressure, their offspring is likely to have high blood pressure too. Overweight, people who consume excess of fats, salts, use excess amount of alcohol for long periods, smoke cigarette or use tobacco and are tense persistently have higher risks of developing high blood pressure. Once a person has developed high blood pressure, he must change his lifestyle and eating habits, and take regular treatment to avoid serious consequences. Besides drugs, the change in lifestyle and eating habits are important factors for controlling and treating high blood pressure and preventing its serious outcome. Changes in lifestyle, eating habits will only help in controlling high blood pressure more effectively, will help decrease the dosage of drugs needed and will reduce the risk of serious outcome. So every hypertensive must follow, adhere to the following:
Control weight
Overweight persons have a greater risk of developing high blood pressure. It has been confirmed by researchers that reduction of about 5 kg of weight could result in a fall of B.P. by 5-7 mm or even more. For reduction of weight they should take up moderate physical exercise. Men should consume 1500 calories and women 1200 calories of a balanced diet daily.
Of course, regular exercise should be done by everyone to remain healthy and active. Every person must pack in some aerobic exercise at least 4-5 times a week for a minimum duration of 30 minutes; a better bet would be a daily workout.
Always keep a count of calories you consume. Also make sure that the diet has fewer fats, sugars and salt, and more of fibers, green vegetables, and
fruits. If you are a non-vegetarian, restrict the intake of meat, chicken and eggs. If necessary consume skimmed milk and milk products prepared from it.
Control sodium (salt) intake
Excess consumption of sodium through table salt (common salt) and high sodium present in many foods in our diet can cause high blood pressure in some sensitive people. Ideally, people should not consume more than 4 gm of sodium daily. Each 5 gm of table salt (one teaspoon full approximately) contains about 2.3 gm of sodium. So translating it in common salt, people can consume about one to one and a half teaspoonful salt daily in normal weather.
Always remember many food articles like most non-vegetarian foods, green leafy vegetables, food containing baking powder (cakes, pastries) and other preservatives, salted butter, nuts, snacks, namkeens, sauces, fast foods, chutney, pickles, papads, etc. contain good quantity of sodium or salt (sodium chloride)
A person should ideally consume only two tablespoons of salt in cooking each day. So make it a habit to put minimum salt in food while cooking and don’t use extra salt in salads and foods. However, people living in tropical hot humid areas, during summers, and those indulging in hard labor, exercises, who sweat a lot like construction, agricultural, industrial mine workers, sportsmen can consume up to 3 to 4 tablespoon of salt daily to substitute the loss through sweating.
Rich sources of sodium (to be avoided by hypertensive or consumed in minimum)
- Foods containing baking powder like bread, biscuits, cakes
- Tinned and preserved foods
- Salted nuts, processed cheese and salted butter
- Pickles, chutney, sauces and papad
- All non-vegetarian foods
- Namkeen, snacks and cornflakes
- Mono sodium glutamate (Chinese salt)
Moderate sources of Sodium
Milk, cream, eggs, vegetables and corn flour
Control fats and cholesterol
Fats are high energy foods. They provide double calories than proteins and sugar. So for reduction in weight reducing fat intake is necessary. Moreover high quantity of fat and cholesterol can increase atherosclerosis and worsen high blood pressure. One must consume minimum amount of fats. Fats should not contribute more than 25 percent of calories required by an individual. Moreover, quality of fat is also important. Fats intake should be a balance of saturated, mono unsaturated and poly unsaturated fats. People should avoid
fats/oils of animal origin and vegetable ghee. They should consume vegetable oils in minimum amount.
Cholesterol content in diet should not be more than 300g daily. They should avoid non-vegetarian foods or should consume them in minimum amount as cholesterol is found only in foods derived from animal origin.
Control of alcohol consumption
Excessive alcohol drinking can cause high B.P. in susceptible persons and aggravate the B.P. in hypertensive individuals to dangerous levels. Alcohol is appetite stimulant and a high caloric drink. Each gram of alcohol provides 7 empty calories of energy. Thus, in initial stages disadvantages are not discernable but later on when damage occurs, the alcoholic starts avoiding food and can suffer from malnutrition. Alcohol can cause palpitation and can make one overweight. Curtailing alcohol can bring down blood pressure to normal in some mild hypertensive people, so it advisable for them to avoid alcohol and other stimulants like tea, coffee and chocolates.
Consume High Fiber diet
Regular consumption of fruits, vegetables and other fiber-rich products are strong weapons against heart diseases, high blood pressure, and diabetes. Dietary fibers prevent development of atherosclerosis. Vegetables and fruits besides containing dietary fibers also provide vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, which reduces the level of free radicals in the body and help in the prevention of diabetes, heart diseases, high blood pressure and many types of cancer.
Potassium, calcium and magnesium
These minerals have a special role in preventing and even treating high B.P. and they are present in adequate amounts in green leafy vegetables and fruits. So people should consume plenty of green leafy vegetables and fruits regularly. They are also rich source of antioxidants such as vitamin A, C, D, E, minerals – selenium, zinc, copper and other antioxidants and chemo preventers.
Potassium rich foods
Banana, sweet lime, oranges, melon, plum, almond, lotus stem, green and red gram dal, beans, chaulai leaves, tapioca (singara), ragi.
Calcium rich foodsMilk and milk products, cereals, ragi, amaranth seeds, pulses, (Rajmah, Bengal green), oil seeds, mustard seeds, cumin seeds and poppy seeds are all rich sources of calcium.
Magnesium rich foods
Magnesium is found in Ragi, green and redgram dal, chaulai, lotus-stem, almonds, peanuts and peanut butter.
Modification of lifestyle
To bring changes in lifestyle is the golden rule in prevention and even cure of heart diseases (angina, heart attacks), diabetes, high blood pressure and many others. Avoid smoking, tobacco use in any form, gutkha and excess alcohol.
Everyone must exercise daily which must involve expenditure of about 300 calories of energy. Moderate exercise for 30-45 minutes should be done at least 3-4 times in a week, preferably daily. Start the exercise slowly to warm up and rest for sometime after exercise. Exercises like brisk walking for 30 to 45 minutes daily or 30 minutes aerobic exercise should be done. Patients having heart, kidney, and eye problems should do the exercise after consulting a physician. If you don’t have time to exercise at one stretch and get exhausted, then 5 to 10 minute exercises three times a day can be done instead of one stretch of exercise.
Develop positive thinking and constructive hobbies, like gardening, swimming, music, reading, painting, sports, etc. which will give mental satisfaction and keep away mental tension.
Give up negative emotions like jealousy, unhealthy competition, selfishness and indulge in healthy social activities. Take part in religious activities. Avoid exposure to loud noise. Live in a clean, pollution-free environment.
Get regular treatment and medical checkup
High blood pressure is a lifelong problem. Once developed it can’t be cured, only controlled by changing eating habits, lifestyle, ways of living and thinking. In many mild hypertensive people, blood pressure can be controlled by these efforts. But most patients have to consume drugs regularly besides the change in lifestyle. Change in lifestyle will make the drugs more effective and the dosages are reduced. Patients who are advised to consume anti hypertensive drugs should consume them at regular timing in prescribed dosage. They should not change the type of drugs or dosage on their whims. Hypertensive patients should have regular medical checkup for measurements of B.P. and adjustment of dosage of drugs and know the damage to other organs.
Hypertension is due to modern pace of life and disease incidence is increasing rapidly. Hypertension has serious consequences in the long run if not strictly controlled. Modification of eating habits and lifestyle will help in prevention of high B.P. and also many other serious diseases like diabetes (angina, heart attack), obesity related problems, joint diseases and certain cancers.
A healthy way of living will have an impact on the whole family and the health and happiness of the whole family will improve. So cultivate a healthy family lifestyle and eating habits to remain healthy and active.
Following foods can be consumed in liberal amount during dieting
- Green leafy vegetables, other vegetables except root vegetables, better boiled, or cooked in minimum oil.
- Vegetable soups, butter milk, Nimbu pani, Jaljeera, green chutney.
- Fruits like orange, apple, sweet lime, papaya, jamun, watermelon, muskmelon, plum, pears, etc.
- Avoid following foods for weight reduction
- Full cream milk, cream, ghee, oil, fried food, processed cheese, sweets, ice cream.
- Banana, mango, grapes, sapota, dates and root vegetables like potatoes, arvi and sweet potatoes.
- Alcohol, all aerated and sweet beverages, cakes, pastries, chocolates.
- Avoid tinned, packed food, fast food, fried food, non-vegetarian foods and egg yolk.
Ambika Nair
Nutrition & Dietitian
