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Effective Dietary Changes For Hypertension

Hypertension Hypertension or high blood pressure can lead to many types of serious health problems like heart disease, stroke and kidney disorders. Hypertension does not have any warning signs, so it is a very dangerous situation. People who have high blood pressure should make lifestyle changes for controlling the blood pressure. Dietary changes can help in treating and controlling high blood pressure.

You should eat foods that contain omega 3 fats like fatty fish. You should eat garlic as it helps in decreasing blood pressure and cholesterol. You should eat a plant-based diet. It is important to avoid animal-based foods. It has been observed that the animal protein present in red meat increases the blood pressure. Therefore, you should avoid non-vegetarian foods. Some other dietary changes for hypertension are as follows.

Dietary Changes For Hypertension

Decrease Sodium Intake

People who have hypertension should decrease the intake of sodium. It will help in decreasing blood pressure. Do not take more than 2,300 mg of sodium per day. One teaspoon of salt is enough as it contains 2,300 mg sodium. People who are more than fifty-one years old should take 1,500 mg sodium daily.

Avoid Processed food to reduce sodium intake

 African American people and patients who have diabetes and kidney disease should limit the sodium intake to 1,500 mg. Maintain food diary to keep a record of how much sodium you take daily. Take foods and drinks that have low sodium. Avoid processed foods like processed meat, potato chips and bacon. If you want to flavor foods, prefer herbs and spices instead of salt.

Take Potassium Rich Foods

People who have hypertension should increase the intake of foods that contain potassium.

Potassium Rich Foods

You can get potassium through foods like banana, dates, sweet potato, spinach, dried apricots, orange juice, carrots, yogurt, salmon fish, winter squash, beet greens, mushrooms, white beans, tomatoes, baked potatoes, raisins, avocados and clams.

Dietary Changes For Hypertension
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Take Calcium Rich Foods

It is usually seen that people who have low calcium suffer from hypertension. If you want to treat and prevent hypertension, you should increase the intake of calcium. Adults who are 19-50 years of age need 1,000 mg dietary calcium daily. People who are more than 50 years of age need 1,200 mg dietary calcium daily.

Calcium rich foods

You can get calcium through foods such as milk and yogurt. You should take low fat dairy products as these foods contain higher amount of calcium than the dairy products that contain fat. You can also get calcium through Chinese cabbage, almonds, broccoli, tofu, cooked okra and green snap beans.

Take Magnesium Rich Foods

Magnesium Rich Foods

If you want to treat and prevent hypertension, you should eat foods that contain magnesium. Some of the best food sources of magnesium are green leafy vegetables, squash, figs, beans, soybeans, dark chocolate, banana, avocados, nuts, seeds, brown rice, sesame seeds, non-fat yogurt, sunflower seeds, dry peas, pumpkin seeds, almonds, cashews, halibut and Swiss chard.

Avoid Caffeinated Drinks

You should avoid caffeinated drinks as these drinks increase the blood pressure temporarily. You must check if the blood pressure increases by taking caffeinated drinks. You can do this by measuring the blood pressure within half an hour after you take a caffeinated drink like coffee. If you find that the blood pressure has become high by 5-10 points, you can conclude that the drink is harmful for you.