High Blood Pressure Diet

High blood pressure, if left untreated, can be a serious threat to your life and lifestyle.  High blood pressure weakens artery walls and can lead to a stroke and over 50% of those who suffer a stroke die. If you have high blood pressure a high blood pressure diet can help you to reduce it.

The terrible truth is that a large percentage of people don’t even know that they even have High blood pressure, and it could be like a time bomb waiting to go off.  In more cases than not, high blood pressure doesn’t appear to display any symptoms, but it can work quietly work away inside people. Sadly high blood pressure is a worldwide problem and affects all industrialised countries. Not only can high blood pressure lead to a stroke, but in many cases to a heart attack.  Even if you survive a stroke or heart attack you are left with the fear that it will happen again.  It’s like living on a knife-edge every day of the week, every week of the year.

Of course high blood pressure can be treated and controlled with the help of a high blood pressure diet once it has been diagnosed.

Do not assume or think that high blood pressure affects only middle-aged people or the elderly.  Indeed it can affect all age groups including children. Don’t run away with the idea that high blood pressure hits you overnight.  It doesn’t happen that way.  It takes several years of eating badly and having the wrong lifestyle for high blood pressure to rear its ugly head.  Obviously no one expects to break lifetime bad habits overnight, but with a little help from friends and the knowledge that High Blood Pressure could cripple your life, you will soon form good habits and follow a high blood pressure diet.

Other than exercise the most important step towards controlling high blood pressure is a good well balanced diet.

• If you are a medium to heavy drinker, then cut back on your alcohol intake and certainly don’t binge drink.  Most heavy drinkers do tend to have High Blood Pressure.  Don’t try to cut out alcohol altogether, because it is very doubtful you would adhere to an alcohol free lifestyle and would then revert to your old ways, and the High Blood Pressure will stay with you.  The best method is to have one drink at the end of the day, relax, take your time and you will enjoy every sip you have!  Basically one drink is half a pint of beer or lager, a small glass of wine or a single measure of spirits.
• Cut down on the size of your meals and eat little and often.  It is best to have breakfast, a small healthy mid-morning snack, lunch, a small healthy mid-afternoon snack, evening meal and maybe a small biscuit for supper. Drink a glass of water about twenty or thirty minutes before each meal, water is very good for you. Always try to drink your tea or coffee (decaffeinated is best) between meals rather than with them.
• Take time over your meals, masticate your food well and enjoy what you eat.  There is nothing worse for people with High Blood Pressure than having meals ‘on the go’.  However whether if you have High Blood Pressure or not, it is still damaging to your health not to have proper meals.
• The best teas to drink are Pure Camomile or Pure Green Tea.  I have heard some people say ‘I can’t stand the taste of either of them’.  Unfortunately many of those people have taken only one sip and given up the ghost.  If you are serious (and you should be serious) about wanting to control Blood Pressure, then you will make the effort.  
• Porridge makes a good start to the day as it helps to lower Blood Pressure and cholesterol levels.  Porridge also supplies you with roughage, contains soluble fibre and will help to stave off hunger pangs.  Make porridge with either water or half fat or low fat milk.  Do not use full cream milk at all. Add a few pine nuts, blue berries or pumpkin seeds to add flavour.
• Cut down or cut out fried foods and saturated fats.  When cooking whenever possible use olive oil.  If you are a fish and chip fanatic (like me) try to limit the chips to once a week and use large cut oven chips.
• Eat plenty of oily fish (at least two or three times a week).  Oily fish are mackerel, fresh salmon or tuna, herrings and sardines.  However any fish is better than none at all.  Always remember you are trying to control your Blood Pressure. 
• Cut down on sugary foods such as cakes, pastries, sweets and chocolate.  Once again if you are sweet-tooth it’s not easy, but you must control your Blood Pressure.  Try to limit yourself to a treat once a week or finish your day with a couple squares of good quality dark chocolate (60% to 70% cocoa solids). If you do not have an allergy to nuts, then have a handful of mixed nuts.
• Have rice-based meals a couple of times a week, but use brown rice in preference to white rice.
• Limit your intake of red meat and make use of chicken or fish more often, it is much better for your blood pressure.
• Fruit and vegetables are important sources of potassium and fibre, which help keep your arteries healthy, so eat plenty of them daily. When you have hunger pangs it is much better for you to have a piece of fruit rather than that sticky bun!
• Finally include grains and pulses in your diet.

Happy eating!  Remember the whole family will benefit from the high blood pressure diet.