Eating Tips to Help Fight Against Hypertension
As you may well know, Hypertension is a very serious condition that affects a high number of adults worldwide. Due to the lack of symptoms though, many never find out they have it until it is too late.
So this is where the old saying, “prevention is better than cure” rings truer than ever. But how can you prevent or lower high blood pressure?
Well a very effective way of fighting this condition is taking great care in what you eat. This is true for good health in general, but even more so in preventing hypertension.
Here I am going to tell you what types of food to eat and the foods you should avoid or at the very least, cut right back on
Fruit and Vegetables
Fruit and Vegetables have been shown to help in the battle against high blood pressure, so make sure you get your 5 a day here. Try and get a healthy variety too as each different fruit and vegetable has different benefits so making sure to vary them will ensure you get all you need.
They are full of vitamins and minerals, and are of higher quality than what you will get in a supplement.
Wholegrains
Eating plenty of Wholegrain foods will help in reducing blood pressure. These include rice, breakfast cereals and wholegrain pasta. Of course, never add sugar to cereals as they often contain plenty already!
Dairy Products
These tend to be an excellent source of calcium, however can often have high levels of saturated fat, and some cheeses can be high in salt content. The best types to have would be skimmed or semi skimmed milk, low fat cheese and low fat yoghurt.
Fresh meats
Oily fish like tuna and salmon will provide a good balance of cholesterol in your blood, and chicken will help make sure you don’t eat too much saturated fat. Also, cutting fat off any meat will help reduce fat intake.
Foods to Avoid
Anything with high levels of saturated fat, salt and sugar should be avoided as much as possible. Also high levels of alcohol intake are bad for Hypertension, and though not a food, cigarettes are very bad for your health all round but especially for your heart.
Crisps, chocolate, sweets, fried food, and greasy take away foods, especially kebabs, are filled with these dangerous ingredients and will make blood pressure much higher very quickly, and really should be avoided. Some moderation can perhaps be allowed occasionally, but not until your blood pressure is down to a safe level and you must never eat excessive amounts of these foods.
Well we have discussed which foods can help you fight hypertension and also which ones can cause it or make it worse. I really hope this is of help to you and that you know a bit more about how to treat this deadly condition than before, good luck!