2024-03-15 17:00:47
If you have risk factors for hypertension, you can take steps now to reduce your risk of this condition and its complications.
Add healthy foods to your diet
Slowly increase your intake of heart-healthy plants. Try to eat more than seven servings of fruits and vegetables per day. Then try adding one more serving per day for two weeks. After these two weeks, try adding an extra serving. The goal is to eat ten servings of fruits and vegetables per day.
Change your image of the average dinner plate
Instead of eating meat and three sides, create a dish that uses meat as a condiment. In other words, instead of eating steak with a side salad, eat a larger salad and top it with a smaller portion of steak.
Reduce sugar
Try to eat fewer sugary foods, including flavored yogurts, cereals, and sodas. Packaged foods hide unnecessary sugar, so be sure to read labels.
Set weight loss goals
Instead of setting an arbitrary goal to “lose weight,” talk to your doctor regarding the ideal weight for you. This means you should start by eating 500 fewer calories per day than you normally eat. Then decide what physical activity you can start to achieve this goal. If exercising five nights a week is too difficult to fit into your schedule, aim for one more evening than you currently do. When it fits comfortably into your schedule, add another evening.
Monitor your blood pressure regularly
The best way to prevent complications and avoid problems is to detect hypertension early. You can go to your doctor’s office to have your blood pressure measured, or your doctor may ask you to purchase a cuff to measure your blood pressure at home.
Dietary Recommendations for People with High Blood Pressure
One of the simplest ways to treat hypertension and prevent possible complications is your diet. What you eat can go a long way toward easing or eliminating high blood pressure.
Here are some of the most common dietary recommendations for people with hypertension.
Eat less meat and more plants
A plant-based diet is an easy way to increase fiber and reduce the amount of sodium and unhealthy saturated and trans fats you absorb from dairy and meat. Increase the amount of fruits, vegetables, leafy greens and whole grains you eat. Instead of red meat, opt for healthier lean proteins like fish, poultry or tofu.
Reduce dietary sodium
People with hypertension and those at increased risk of heart disease should keep their daily sodium intake between 1,500 and 2,300 milligrams per day. The best way to reduce sodium is to cook fresh foods more often. Avoid eating restaurant meals or prepackaged foods, which are often very high in sodium.
Cut down on sweets
Sugary foods and drinks contain empty calories but have no nutritional content. If you want something sweet, try eating fresh fruit or small amounts of dark chocolate that hasn’t been sweetened as much with sugar. StudiesThe reliable source suggests that regular consumption of dark chocolate can reduce blood pressure.
What are the effects of high blood pressure on the body?
Because hypertension is often a silent condition, it can cause damage to your body for years before symptoms become evident. If hypertension is left untreated, you can face serious and even life-threatening complications.
Complications of hypertension include:
Damaged arteries
Healthy arteries are flexible and strong. Blood flows freely and without obstruction through healthy arteries and vessels.
High blood pressure makes the arteries harder, tighter and less elastic. This damage makes it easier for dietary fats to deposit in the arteries and limits blood circulation. This damage can lead to increased blood pressure, blockages, and ultimately heart attack and stroke.
A damaged heart
High blood pressure makes your heart work too hard. The increased pressure in your blood vessels causes your heart muscles to pump more frequently and with more force than a healthy heart should.
This can cause the heart to enlarge. An enlarged heart increases the risk of the following problems:
– heart failure
– arrhythmias
– sudden cardiac death
– heart attack
– Damaged brain
Your brain needs a healthy supply of oxygen-rich blood to function properly. High blood pressure can reduce the blood supply to your brain:
– Temporary blockages of blood flow to the brain are called transient ischemic attacks (TIAs).
– Significant blockages in blood circulation lead to the death of brain cells. This is called a stroke.
– Uncontrolled hypertension can also affect your memory and your ability to learn, remember, speak and reason. Treatment of hypertension often cannot erase or reverse the effects of uncontrolled hypertension. However, it helps reduce the risk of future problems.
Keep a log of your blood pressure readings and bring it to your regular doctor visits. This can help your doctor detect any possible problems before the disease progresses.
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Marie Desange
Marie DESANGE is a journalist specializing in the field of health, known for her commitment to accurate and accessible information in this crucial area.
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