Healthy Eating To Control High Blood Pressure

Blood pressure is a measure of the force that is exerted against the walls of the arteries when the heart pumps blood throughout the human body. Having high blood pressure (hypertension) puts your health at risk and increases your risk of heart disease.

According to Mayo Clinic, A non-profit organization dedicated to clinical practice, education, and research, blood pressure is measured by two values:

• Upper value (systolic pressure). The first, or top, measures the pressure in the arteries as the heart beats.
• Low value (diastolic pressure). The second, or lower, measure measures the pressure in the arteries between heartbeats.

blood pressure range

• A normal blood pressure is when the blood pressure is less than 120/80 mm Hg most of the time.
• High blood pressure (hypertension) occurs when one or both blood pressure numbers are greater than 130/80 mm Hg, most of the time.
• If the value of the upper number of your blood pressure is between 120 and 130 mm Hg, and the value of the lower number is less than 80 mm Hg, it is called hypertension.

A person with high blood pressure does not have any symptoms. Even though they record blood pressure with extremely high levels, which endanger the patient’s life. “It is estimated that about 20% of the Western adult population may have high blood pressure. More than 50% are not aware of it”, explains Sanitas, a health unit.

Therefore, it is important to have regular medical examinations to verify the health status. According to WHO statistics, worldwide 46% of adults with hypertension are unaware that they have the disease and “it is estimated that 1.28 billion adults aged 30 to 79 in the world suffer from hypertension”. Similarly, it is also mentioned that this condition is one of the main causes of premature death in the world.

Healthy Diet

A healthy diet is essential to avoid complications related to health conditions, especially blood pressure. For this reason the World Health Organization lays special emphasis onKeeping salt intake to less than 5 grams per day (equal to less than 2 grams of sodium per day) It helps prevent high blood pressure and reduces the risk of heart disease and stroke in the adult population.”

Medline Plus The website of the United States National Library of Medicine explains the characteristics of the diet. “dash,Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension), Which aims to help lower blood pressure.

It should be noted that before starting this diet, you should consult a doctor and nutritionist to get proper professional advice and if it is a healthy option, each individual should have medical supervision on a case by case basis .

This diet includes foods that are higher in potassium, calcium and magnesium and lower in salt than the typical daily diet. Medline Plus Mention that the goals of the DASH diet are:

• Limit sodium to no more than 2,300 milligrams per day. The ideal is to consume only 1,500 milligrams.
• Reduce saturated fat to 6% and total fat to 27% of daily calories. It is important to include low-fat dairy products, as they can be a healthy option for lowering systolic blood pressure.
• When choosing healthy fats like olive oil and canola oil.
• Choose whole grains over white flour or pasta products.
• Eat fresh fruits and vegetables daily.
• Eat nuts, seeds or legumes (beans or peas) every day.
• Choose a moderate amount of protein.
• Reduce carbohydrates to 55% of daily calories.
• Lower cholesterol to 150 mg.
• Get at least 30 grams of fiber daily.