If you do not regularly measure the blood pressure, you won’t even know that it elevated until the situation becomes alarming. Hypertension is one of the leading causes of heart disease, stroke and premature death.
Studies have shown that the DASH diet, which is rich in dairy products with reduced fat items, fruit and vegetables, can help reduce the risk of high blood pressure. DASH menu is based on varied diet with moderate caloric value.
People with high pressure nutritionists advised to avoid the use of salt. In contrast, the recommended foods rich in potassium because this mineral stimulates fluid elimination and lowers the pressure. The richest sources of potassium are unprocessed foods, fruits, vegetables, whole grains, fresh meat, and the best sources are bananas, oranges, potatoes and tomatoes.
To reduce the risk of hypertension eat at least 2-3 servings of dairy products with less fat, 8 to 10 servings of fruits and vegetables; stop smoking, limit the amount of alcohol, smoked meat products, avoid products containing additive MSG (monosodium glutamate). Pay attention to your weight, be physically active and reduce fat.
Studies show that vegetarians much less frequently have elevated blood pressure than those who frequently eat meat. It has been observed that people with hypertension have reduced blood pressure values if they go to a vegetarian diet.
Example of the DASH menus for seven days
Healthy habits related to the use of salt should be adopted since childhood because children often develop a taste for salty foods according to the habits of their parents. The typical western diet contains about 9g of salt, which mainly comes from processed foods.
Only 10 percent appears as being naturally present in foods, 15 percent of the added salt during cooking. Research shows that people who use less than 4.5 grams of salt per day have lower blood pressure, and if you use more than 5.8g of salt, the pressure increases proportionally with the amount of sodium.
Food that is recommended: fish fruit, low fat dairy products, foods with a low percentage of saturated fats, olive oil, vegetables. The foods you should avoid: alcohol, fatty foods, meat and meat products, salty foods.
Monday
Breakfast: yogurt, a slice of integral bread, egg, lettuce. Snack: Banana. Lunch: a piece of boiled meat, 200g of vegetables (carrots, broccoli, Brussels sprouts), olive oil 5g with bread (or potatoes, rice). A piece of bread (or oatmeal, 2 tablespoons), 200g of yoghurt and 200g of mixed boiled vegetables.
Tuesday
Breakfast: 30g muesli cereal, 250 ml of yogurt with low-fat, glass of unsweetened freshly squeezed fruit juice, a small cup of white coffee. Snack: pear. Lunch: fish soup with rice, 200g of cooked oily fish with potatoes and Swiss chard and 1 teaspoon of olive oil; whole grain bread, 50g of cheese, 4 olives, fruit salad.
Wednesday
Breakfast: whole grains, low fat dairy spread, a glass of orange juice. Snack: 2 tangerines or apples or medium-sized orange. Lunch: 100g cooked chicken, 2 slices wholemeal bread, half a head of lettuce, 50g low-fat cheese. 100g of boiled fish, 100g cooked rice, 2 dl tomato sauce spiced with oregano and basil, 200g of green salad with lemon and olive oil.
Thursday
Breakfast: 2 slices of toast, 2 tablespoons of peanut butter, orange juice. Snack: mix a smaller banana, 100g strawberries, raspberries or blackberries, 1 dl of fruit juice without sugar and 1 dl low-fat milk. Lunch: 2 paddy potatoes baked in the oven, 2 tablespoons salsa sauce, servings of green salad with chopped tomatoes. 400 g squid baked on a grill, 2 boiled potatoes.
Friday
Breakfast: 2 slices wholemeal bread, ham 2 leaves, 2 leaves of lettuce, 1 tomato. Snack: a cube of dark chocolate, 100g raspberries. Lunch: a plate of chicken soup, slice of whole wheat bread, 200g turkey breast with braised mushrooms and 5 chopped garlic cloves. Banana, a larger fillet of cod baked in electric grill and soaked in lemon juice, five young potatoes.
Saturday
Breakfast: sandwich of two slices of wholemeal bread, half an avocado, soaked in lemon and two rings of tomato, a glass of low fat yogurt. Snack: Fresh fruit salad with a scoop of ice cream. Lunch: 7 tablespoons boiled brown rice, braised 3 colors broccoli and three leaves of cauliflower with a clove of garlic, young onion’s greens, a little red pepper; more young potatoes baked in the oven, half a can of tuna without oil mixed with 2 tablespoons of beans, one fresh peppers and a little chili, portions of lettuce.
Sunday
Breakfast: a glass of low-fat yogurt, 3 tablespoons of muesli, apple. Snack: Shake 1 banana, 10 strawberries and 200ml skimmed milk. Lunch: 2 slices wholemeal bread, 2 fillets of salmon soaked in lemon juice, 1 tablespoon low-fat mayonnaise and 10 grapes. Dinner: 100 g button mushrooms braised with carrots, garlic clove and half a cup of sour cream, 2 boiled potatoes, salad of tomatoes, peaches.
Before you decide to go on with this diet, be sure to consult your doctor or nutritionist, and get rid of that salt shaker!
