Healty food for High BP

[rajshank]

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[Badri]

rajshank: Has your husband consulted a doctor yet? Did the doctor have anything to say on why this is so, even after the diet?

My father has hypertension and the doc asked him to cut down on salt, primarily. Salt is supposed to cause high BP. Is your husband's salt intake under control?

Also, please do remember that diet is not the only thing that can lead to hypertension. Among the primary causes is stress. Is he very stressed at work, with deadlines, personnel management issues, conflict management issues etc.?

All of these can contribute to hypertension, despite diet being under control.

Perhaps your husband can take up practice of Yoga, meditation, pilates etc if he is so inclined. These are helpful in destressing. Also, listening to gentle music is supposed to have a soothing and calming effect.

[rajshank]

Well, who is not under stress these days? I try to tell him just to forget work, once he comes back home...still it does not work out that way.
We have not consulted a doctor yet...since his BP is just slightly above normal, and he does not like visiting the doctor...

Our salt intake is also very minimal...and i am also not very liberal with that...

Thanx for ur response...do give me more suggestions on this...

[SlurpSlurp]

hi

First of all what is slightly hypertensive ? how much is your husbands b.p ? Did u confirm with the doc that he does have hypertension ? what are his Lipid levels ?
secondly if he does then he needs to cut down on salt drastically not more than 1 sp per day in fact its even better to avoid it completely.
Consume heart healthy food , potassium rich diet . which includes all varieties of fruits , dark greens , vegs , whole grains , Legumes & Beans . These should gradually replace more than half of the rice in a south indian Lunch . Rice should preferably be substituted by parboiled or even brown rice . & of course water is the most important preventive measure of all . 1 litre of water ( water therapy ) early morning should help .
Also if your husband is a fitness freak is it that he overdoes his work outs ? in which case it may only have adverse effect . never exercise beyond your capacity .
Also for any hypertensive individual meditation , pranayama is very benefecial as it reduces a lot of stress .

[gvb]

Hi everybody,
Just yesterday my husband and i found out that he has High BP.We are meeting with a Doctor this week.I wud really appreciate if any of u cud share ur experience/suggestions on getting it back to normal.He is at a perfectly healthy weight and our salt intake is minimum too.Please give me a feedback on this as am concerned.

Thanx,
GVB

[riceandbeans]

I myself have had slight HBP since the beginning of my first pregnancy, 2 years ago. HBP can also be genetic, such as in my case, it runs in my family so I have to be very careful and consult with my physician regularly. What I make sure I do is always cut down sodium intake and sometimes, whenever possible completely cut off. Started swimming on a dayly basis because it is very relaxing. Take regular readings to make sure the BP is under control. Most people disregard this problem because since there are no noticeable symptoms, they don't feel they are sick.

[gvb]

Hi Riceandbeans,
U are 100% right.It completely caught me unawares also and i suspect its inherited in which case we shud have been careful right from the beginning.Do u have any idea how much salt shud i be using and also can u suggest any vegetables/fruits that wud help in this cause?

Thank u .

GVB

[riceandbeans]

Hi, gvb!

I think the best person to give you any advice on the subject is a physician. Believe me, if you have such things like HBP, you will constantly need to check things out and being able to count on a doctor that knows you is invaluable. However, I can recommend a website that gives detailed explanation, for those who have or are likely to develop HBP, on how to find out about sodium content in food as well as tips on what to look for . You can check it out:

http://www.umext.maine.edu/onlinepubs/htmpubs/4059.htm
Hopes this helps.

[gvb]

Hi Riceandbeans,
Thanx a lot for the URL.It was highly informative.I appreciate it.We consulted a physician this morning and am happy to say that my husband doesn't have HBP but since he is in borderline has to keep an eye on what he is eating from now on.We were suggested to buy a home kit to check for BP..Do u recommed any?

Thanx,
GVB

[riceandbeans]

My husband knows how to use the regular monitors but I don't so when he's home he uses the conventional one but when he is not, I just use the digital one that, although is supposed to be less accurate, is the one I can read. BP monitors are not very costly and you can find them everywhere.

[gvb]

Thanx a lot for ur reply.I will check it out.

GVB