HYPERTENSION DIETARY TREATMENT

The Basic of Hypertension Diet

The basic idea of a diet program for the treatment of hypertension is to control the intake of all possible food or substances that may cause the raise and fall of blood pressure. Your diet should be rich in fibers, low fat and salt. Bearing these pointers in mind, the intake of fruits, vegetables and whole grains should be emphasized.

As studies have shown, the strong relation between salt consumption and hypertension is something convincing. A study in Japan shows that the northern island citizen who consumes more salt than anyone else in the world is showing the highest incidence of essential hypertension. On the contrary, people with less salt eating, does not show any evidence of essential hypertension at all.

What to avoid?

When preparing food, use seasonings other than salt and avoid processed food which tends to be high in sodium (Na), the chemical component in salt. Be aware that sodium is also present in MSG (mono sodium glutamate), baking soda, natrium benzoate as fruit preservative, salt-pepper and in soft drinks.

Samples of common sodium containing food are: crackers, biscuits, cakes and cookies baked using baking soda, corned beef, dried meet, salted fish, smoked beef, bacon, ham, sardines, salted eggs, cheese, peanut butter, margarine, butter, pickles, canned vegetables and fruits, table salt, MSG, ketchup, maggi-blocs.

Please attend to what you drink too. As mentioned a while, soft drink contains sodium, thus should be avoided. Coffee, which contains caffeine may elevate blood pressure to some extend and could be temporarily. As moderate use of alcohol may lower blood pressure, but drinking more than two ounces per day may rather aggravate high blood pressure.

Which are the allowed foods?

There are a lot of foodstuffs or food that can still be enjoyed by a patient with hypertension. Fresh food or unsalted processed food originated from plants can still be cooked to prepare tasteful dishes. This may include:

• Rice, potatoes, sweet potatoes, noodles, flour, corn flour, sugar
• Beans like, peanut, green peas, red beans, soy beans or its product like bean cake, tofu etc.
• Cooking oil, unsalted margarine, unsalted butter
• Fruits and vegetables
• Natural spices like onions, shallots, garlic, ginger, candle nuts, turmeric, zedoary, greater galangal, tamarind, chili, lemon grass

Limited intake of animal originated food, which include:

• Beef, chicken meat or fish, 100 grams the maximum
• Egg, maximum 1 piece per day
• Fresh milk, maximum 2 glasses per day

When buying packed food in your supermarket or food store, attend carefully to thenutrition facts labels on each package. You should watch and look for the Na orsodium content of that product. Avoid such sodium containing packed food.

What is the best way to do cooking?

• Tasteless food can be solved by using natural spices as mentioned above. Frying, sautéing or roasting can enhance food taste as well. If margarine is preferred, you can take out the salt in the following way:
• Mixed the margarine with the same portion of water. Let it boil until the margarine becomes melted, and the salt will be diluted in the water. 
• Cool the mixture by adding some ice cubes or let it cool in the refrigerator.After a while the margarine will harden again.
• Separate and throw away the salted water and use the unsalted portion of margarine

Reading suggestion: The DASH Diet Action Plan 

About The DASH Diet and this Book

The DASH Diet Action Plan: Based on the National Institutes of Health Research: Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension  is to lower blood pressure and cholesterol without medication.

The 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend this eating plan for everyone. And the DASH diet forms the basis for the USDA MyPyramid. The DASH diet is rich in fruits, vegetables, low fat or nonfat dairy, is low in sodium, and includes lean meats, fish and poultry, grains, nuts and beansIt will help lower cholesterol and will support healthy weight loss. It is flexible enough to meet the lifestyle and food preferences of most people.

However, many people find it challenging to put the DASH diet into practice. This is the user-friendly book, designed to make it easy; it was written by a dietitian who is experienced in helping people make sustainable changes in how they eat. This book shows you how to follow the DASH diet in your real life. How to eat on-the-run, how to add more vegetables even if you hate vegetables, how to keep salt under control, how to make over your kitchen to support the DASH diet, how to lose weight with the DASH diet.

It has 28 days of meal plans (with adjustments for 1200, 1600, and 2000 calorie plans), and DASH-friendly recipes. It shows you how to make other lifestyle changes to lower blood pressure, such as losing weight and adding exercise.What differentiates this book from other books on the DASH diet? This book provides practical, real life solutions. It goes beyond "what" is involved with the DASH diet; it also shows you "how." 

The book helps you make your own personal plan, with the specific steps you will take to fit the DASH diet into your daily routine. This book truly allows you to make your own personal "DASH Diet Action Plan," whether your goal is lowering blood pressure, or just having a healthier lifestyle. It is your first step in improving your health for the long run.