8 Dietary Tips to Manage Hypertension

You must have commonly heard people saying that they have “high BP” (blood pressure) and are taking some medicines to manage those high levels. Nowadays, even the people in their 30's have high blood pressure.

Did you know that an estimated 1.13 billion people worldwide have high blood pressure (medically known as hypertension), most of them (two-thirds) living in low and middle-income countries?

Countries impacted by Hypertension

Now you must be wondering, what exactly is hypertension? Why & how has it affected so many people? And most importantly what can we do to prevent or manage high blood pressure levels?

What Is Hypertension?

Management of Hypertension (high blood pressure) is important to prevent further damage to the body.

Hypertension is defined as a condition in which there is long term and continuous high arterial blood pressure. The condition affects many body organs including our heart, brain, kidneys etc. And can increase the risk of developing vision issues, stroke, other chronic heart and kidney diseases etc.

The normal blood pressure level is 120/80 mmHg. If a person has a continuous blood pressure (BP) level of more than 140/90 mmHg, he/ she must consult a Doctor for proper guidance.

Fewer than 1 in 5 people with hypertension have the problem under control.

Factors affecting Blood Pressure:

Working on the factors affecting blood pressure will improve one’s overall health.

1. Unhealthy eating habits: Dietary intake plays a very important role in managing blood pressure. Eating higher amounts of fat or unhealthy fats (like trans fats, saturated fats etc) or much more unhealthy junk foods can cause fats to deposit in arteries causing our heart to pump with more pressure and thus it increases blood pressure levels.
2. Sedentary lifestyle: Sedentary lifestyle i.e. less physical activity can increase heart rate which causes our heart to apply more pressure so that blood can flow properly throughout the body thus causing increased blood pressure.
3. Stress and anxiety: During stress/anxiety the body releases various hormones to deal with the situation. This increase might be temporary and cause the heart to pump more blood and narrow the vessels. So, managing our stress can really help one in managing the fluctuations in blood pressure.
4. Obesity: Obesity is one of the major reasons for high blood pressure. Increased weight increases the requirement of oxygen and nutrients in our body for which our heart needs to pump more blood thus increasing the pressure.
5. Diabetes: When the blood with high sugar levels travels throughout the body it damages the walls of arteries and other organs which play a major role in managing a healthy blood pressure hence, resulting in hypertension.
6. Chronic Kidney disease (CKD): During reduced kidney functioning, our body is not capable of managing the electrolytes balance like, sodium and potassium etc which are important in managing the blood pressure. Their imbalance further increases the blood pressure.
7. Hereditary: Our genes play a very important role with our bodily functions. If a person has a family history of hypertension then there is a chance of that person to get diagnosed with hypertension. If both the parents have hypertension, then the chances increases.

In 2015, 1 in 4 men and 1 in 5 women had hypertension.

Dietary Management of Hypertension:

A specific type of diet that is commonly used to manage hypertension is DASH Diet i.e. Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension. It basically involves a food plan that focuses on managing:

• A gradual weight loss in overweight and obese individuals and maintain a healthy body weight
• To reduce sodium intake
• To maintain adequate nutrition

1. Carbohydrates: About 55–60% of our total energy should be from carbohydrates. Complex carbohydrates are better than simple ones. One must choose whole wheat, bajra, jowar, whole pulses (dal) etc and avoid refined flour (maida) to maintain normal BP levels. Having 7 adequate servings of these carbohydrates in a day is just perfect.
2. Protein: As per DASH diet one should have a protein intake of about 6–7 servings or 1 gm per kg body weight by including pulses, legumes, dairy products, egg whites, chicken and fish etc. A diet rich in protein showed significant improvements in BP levels as it also helps in reducing insulin levels which will otherwise result in build up of sodium and thus causing high BP levels.
3. Fats: Choosing good quality fats like Mono-unsaturated fats (MUFAs) or poly-unsaturated fats (PUFAs) is really important. One can choose ghee, kachi ghani oils like groundnut oil, mustard oil and sunflower oil for cooking and choose olive oil, almond, flax seeds oil for seasoning. Try to add nuts like almonds, walnuts, cashews and seeds like flax, sunflower, pumpkin seeds and fish in your regular routine for good omega fats. Try to have 2–3 servings of healthy fats in a day.
   It is also important to avoid trans or unsaturated oil like refined oil to manage blood pressure. One must not reuse oil again and again because of it’s unhealthy trans fats content.
4. Fluid: Keeping yourself hydrated is important in managing blood pressure. When our body cells are dehydrated, blood vessels narrow which leads to an increase in sodium level and thus increases blood pressure. One should try to have a minimum of 2.5–3 litres (10–12 glasses) of water daily. Additionally, one can drink buttermilk, coconut water, lemon water (without sugar & salt) etc.
5. Fibre: Having a diet rich in fibre can help in managing blood pressure. Fruits, vegetables, whole cereals and pulses are great sources of fibre. They work on managing our cholesterol and blood sugar levels which in turn helps in a significant reduction of blood pressure.
6. Sodium: We all know that the most common management of high blood pressure is limiting salt intake because of it’s sodium content. DASH diet provides 2 varieties based on sodium requirement: (1) Standard DASH diet: One can consume up to 5 gram salt per day which will contain up to 2.3 g of sodium. (2) Lower sodium DASH diet: One can consume up to 3 gram salt per day which will contain 1.5 g of sodium. Along with this, one must not consume fried, canned food, packaged and processed foods because their main preservatives is sodium.
7. Potassium: Potassium is a very important electrolyte which helps in expanding arteries and easing the tension on the walls of arteries further reducing blood pressure. One must have potassium rich food products like coconut water, banana, orange, apricots, prunes, peach, plums, beetroot, raisins, pumpkin seeds etc to decrease high blood pressure. But, someone with high potassium levels must avoid these to prevent further kidney damage.
8. Avoid alcohol & smoking: We are already aware that alcohol intake and smoking negatively impacts our body. Not only does they impact our liver or lungs, they also affect our heart, kidneys, nervous system etc. Try living a life free from alcohol and smoking. If not free, then try limiting the intake as much as possible to manage healthy BP levels.

Don’t Smoke Your Life Away!

Other Lifestyle Tips to Manage Hypertension:

1. Physical activity: American Heart Association recommends doing 30 minutes of physical activity like walking, running, jogging, yoga or exercise on a daily basis. If not daily then one must aim to perform any one physical activity at least 5 times a week.
2. Medicine therapies: Different types of medications are required to manage blood pressure. It is best to be treated under the guidance of a Doctor who will prescribe medicine as per the need.
3. Meditation: A regular practice of meditation can reduce the high blood pressure over a period of time. Different meditation techniques help in expanding narrowed blood vessels which further reduces the blood pressure to it’s normal flow.

Stress, Meditation and Diabetes!

Usually one does not experience symptoms of high blood pressure and that makes it more important for us to measure our BP 1–2 times a week. Think about it and act accordingly. For proper guidance, you can download Zyla app where healthcare is personalized according to your health and lifestyle.

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References:

Dietary Protein and Blood Pressure: A Systematic Review

The DASH Diet: A Complete Overview and Meal Plan

DASH Eating Plan

DASH Diet

Managing Blood Pressure with a Heart-Healthy Diet