What to eat to lower blood pressure, foods for blood pressure

According to the World Health Organization, there are 1.13 billion people living in the world diagnosed with hypertension – high blood pressure. This is a serious disease that increases risks not only for the cardiovascular system, but also for other organs.

In the treatment and prevention of hypertension, everything is important, including – proper nutrition. With special care to it should be approached by those who lead an active lifestyle and regularly engaged in sports. Together with cardiologist Tamaz Gagloshvili we tell you what foods will help to reduce blood pressure.

cardiologist

Nutrition is the most important factor both for preserving the health of cardiovascular system and for treating existing diseases: hypertension, atherosclerosis, heart failure, etc. Observance of a rational balanced diet in many cases becomes no less important than drug treatment.

Índice

Legumes, cereals, fresh fruits and vegetables

Those who face high blood pressure should add to their diet foods rich in fiber: fresh fruits and vegetables, various cereals (buckwheat, oatmeal, lentils).

Tamaz Gagloshvili

cardiologist

In America there was a study that proved that when a person increases the amount of vegetables with each meal, it significantly reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease. As part of the experiment, people were divided into two groups: one was given a vegetable salad with each meal, and the others were not. In the first group, the risk of cardiovascular disease decreased by 23% – almost a quarter. And that’s without medication.

A healthy person should daily consume about 400 g of vegetables. Of course, there are regions in which there is not always sunshine and fresh vegetables, but you can compensate for this with fiber from the pharmacy. It will also be very useful.

Nuts and bananas

Also the cardiovascular system is positively affected by foods rich in electrolytes: magnesium and potassium. Among other things, they participate in the contraction of the heart muscle.

Tamaz Gagloshvili

cardiologist

If the level of potassium and magnesium in the blood is normal, you should get these electrolytes from food. For example, from nuts and bananas. The first are very rich in magnesium, while quite caloric. Therefore, the daily norm is in the neighborhood of 20-30 g. You can choose hazelnuts, cashews, walnuts.

Fish

Hypertensive people should pay attention to sources of polyunsaturated fatty acids omega 3, for example, fish.

Tamaz Gagloshvili

cardiologist

Not all fats are harmful, there are also useful ones, which are contained in fish. Therefore, as they say, the best meat is fish. If you have the opportunity to eat it more often, you should do it. It is not necessary to give up meat, but it is better to give preference to lean varieties: turkey, chicken, rabbit meat, etc.

What is the DASH-diet?

The name of the diet stands for Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension, which translates as “dietary approach to treat hypertension”. It was invented specifically for hypertensive people.

Tamaz Gagloshvili

cardiologist

The diet alone can reduce blood pressure by an average of 15 mmHg, which is not bad enough without medication. The main principles of DASH are to increase cereals, legumes, fiber in the diet, sufficient water intake, salt restriction, minimum of sweets and avoidance of bad habits.

This approach is useful not only for hypertensives, but for anyone with cardiovascular problems. In general, cardiologists now consider only two diets: the DASH and the Mediterranean diet and their various variations.

As for other diets, such as keto or mono diets – their benefits for the cardiovascular system have not been proven, notes the cardiologist.

What products can not be eaten with high blood pressure?

The doctor recommends giving up smoked meats, canned foods, carbonated drinks.

Tamaz Gagloshvili

cardiologist

They contain sodium, the very salt, which should be limited. As a rule, we get about 10% of the total amount of salt from the salt shaker per day. And the remaining 90% enters the body in a latent form. Salt negatively affects both blood pressure and health in general, including the cardiovascular system and kidneys.

Hidden salt is found in cheese, sausages, smoked products, convenience foods, fast food. There is also a lot of it in bakery products, especially white bread and mineral water.