BEAT YOUR BLOOD PRESSURE BLUES

BEAT YOUR BLOOD PRESSURE BLUES

Here’s how to keep your blood pressure in check.

Here’s how.

28th August 2019

High blood pressure can cause severe damage to your blood vessels and organs like the brain, heart, eyes and kidneys in addition to leading to heart attacks, especially if there is a history of heart disease in your family.  Here’s how you can lower the risk of this silent killer…

• Lose excess weight if you need to.
• Start an exercise program and be consistent.

• Stress management essential—daily yoga and meditation can be highly beneficial.
• According to recent research, rice as a staple in your diet can lower the risk of hypertension. The calcium in brown rice, in particular, soothes and relaxes the nervous system and helps to relieve the symptoms of high blood pressure.
• Check your intake of salt—your total intake in a day should be within 5gms, but ensure not to reduce salt drastically as some amount is necessary for the body. Table salt is a complete no-no.

• Avoid salty foods such as pickles, papads, chutneys etc.
• Avoid all canned food and processed food.
• Avoid Chinese food that is rich in monosodium glutamate (MSG) or get your meals cooked without MSG. Soya sauce, with its high sodium content, should be avoided.
• Coffee and tea consumption should be reduced to a maximum of 2 cups a day.
• Garlic is one of the most effective remedies to lower blood pressure as it has the power to ease spasms in the small arteries.
• Have potassium-rich foods—these not only prevent the onset of high blood pressure but also strokes. All pulses and legumes, fruits like kiwi, banana, peaches, papaya, oranges, etc. milk, vegetables like spinach, potatoes with skin, pumpkin, carrot, etc are examples of potassium-rich foods. In some cases, diuretics can be given to people with high blood pressure to get rid of excess sodium from the body and also add potassium.

• Calcium and magnesium supplements play an important role in controlling blood pressure. Approximately, 1000mg of calcium should be included in your daily diet. Magnesium  not only prevents high blood pressure, but is also good for the heart overall. Unprocessed whole grains, nuts,  dried fruits and green leafy vegetables are good vegetarian sources of magnesium.
• Excessive body weight and alcohol consumption are a bad combination, elevating blood pressure. Have no more than 1-2, 30ml pegs, a week.
• Quit smoking as it is one of the main causes of hypertension.
• Shift to high fiber foods as they help maintain blood pressure.

FOODS TO BE AVOIDED:

• Table salt
• Pickles
• Papads
• Chutneys
• Salted butter
• Cheese
• Food made with baking powder
• Cakes
• Pastries
• Cornflakes
• Ajinamoto (monosodium glutamate)
• Soya sauce
• Tomato sauce
• Salted chips and wafers
• All canned and processed food
• Raddish
• Turnip
• Bread
• Litchi
• Muskmelon