L’hypertensionor the high pressureoccurs when the systolic and/or diastolic values exceed 140 (for the maximum) or 90 (for the minimum). They are essentially references that are used to measure the pressure that blood exerts on the walls of the arteries. When these values, which should be kept between 120 and 80, deviate from these parameters, we speak of hypertension, which represents a risk factor for major pathologies, such as infarction, stroke and even kidney failure.
Diet for hypertension
In case of hypertension, in addition to following the drug treatment prescribed by the doctor, we can also help you by following a healthy and balanced diet. In fact, hypertension can also be fought at the table because certain foods can lower it.
One of the first rules to follow is to reduce or better eliminate salt. In fact, salt isn’t just harmful for people with high blood pressure. In the kitchen, it can easily be replaced by spices to give flavor to our dishes: green light for turmeric, ginger, paprika and curry. You also have to be careful regarding the foods you buy because salt is also found in packaged products and processed foods, for example in hamburgers, sausages, canned meat and vegetables, sauces, and also in the nuts we use to flavor the broth. Bread and pastries contain a good amount. As for bread, you can use Tuscan or Umbrian bread which contains less salt. According to the indications of the World Health Organization, you should not introduce more than 2 grams of sodium per day with the daily diet, i.e. regarding 5 grams of table salt, which corresponds to the quantity contained in a teaspoon. coffee. On the Ministry of Health website we read that consuming no more than 5 grams of salt per day reduces blood pressure by up to 6-8 mmHg.
In short, reducing salt is the first step and therefore in one diet to fight high blood pressure It is very important to carefully read the labels of the products we buy: if the sodium jumps in the first 4 or 5 components, it is likely that there is too much.
High blood pressure: foods to limit
In addition to those already mentioned, red meat should also be limited, alternatively we can consume chicken or veal, margarine, licorice, tomato paste, beets, eggs. Regarding wine, if taken in modest quantities it is good, while excess increases the risk of hypertension. Coffee no more than 2 times a day due to the effects of caffeine on heart rate. This applies to foods that are restricted. But what are the foods to include in a diet to control hypertension?
Fruits and vegetables are the two main foods. Experts recommend consuming three servings of fruit and at least two servings of vegetables daily. These foods are important for cardiovascular health because they provide us with antioxidant vitamins, as well as potassium. Take at least once a day a cup of milk or a pot of yogurt.
It is also important to take legumes, especially beans and peas which, in addition to potassium, also provide us with calcium. To complete a anti-hypertensive diet experts suggest the use of olive oil as a condiment, chocolate and tea, preferably decaffeinated, which contain bioflavonoids, blue fish, flax seeds and nuts as they are important sources of omega-3, an essential fatty acid that is also good for cardiovascular health.
Hypertension and lifestyle
In addition to paying attention to nutrition, hypertension is also combated by adopting a correct lifestyle. In this sense it is important not to smoke, to control your weight because eliminating excess pounds, in particular reducing waist circumference, is useful for slowing down certain mechanisms that promote hypertension, increasing the practice of physical activity, therefore walking. , swimming, bicycling, jogging, half an hour a day and 3 times a week. In the end the anti-hypertensive diet it can be considered useful both from a preventive point of view and to help the drug therapy that we follow.
