Hypertension is usually controlled with a combination of drugs and some special diets; this is because drugs alone do not really help the patient achieve all the needed relief. Since the condition is incurable, the patient is placed on a carefully planned nutrition devoid of the ingredients that aggravate the disease.
When the right type of food is given to the sufferer, he/she would least experience some of the complications; and the rate of relapse is minimized. Diet is of importance in the management of hypertension because if the right drugs are prescribed and the right type of exercise is adhered to, and the patient does not eat the right type of foods, he/she is likely to get little or no relief from the condition.
The proper diet for the hypertensive patient should therefore have less sodium. Sodium is known to retain fluid; it should be reduced but not completely eliminated from the diet since it still has some roles to play in electrolytes balance. It should rather be reduced to about 4gm per day.
The food should also be natural and not artificial because of the fact that artificial foods have a lot of chemical addictives that make the individual’s health condition worse. Canned foods should not be eaten due to their high sodium content as well.
A proper hypertensive diet should also contain little or no spices which act as stimulants due to the fact that stimulating the patient would lead to extra adrenaline discharge and further elevation of his/her blood pressure.
Foods containing caffeine should also be eliminated from his food regimen. Coffee and strong tea must not make the list. Alcoholic beverages must not be taken as part of the meal or after the meal.
Saturated fats should not be included in the food as they increase the cholesterol level of the blood and worsen the already existing atherosclerosis or arteriosclerosis as the case may be. Red meats and fatty meats like pork should generally not be included in the meal.
While planning the meal therefore, you should remember that foods with a stimulating effect; foods with the ability to retain fluids and foods with artificial addictives do not actually help the patient; rather they worsen his condition. Once you have this at the back of your mind, you will be able to come out with a natural diet best suited for him/her.
The diet for hypertension should contain protein, carbohydrate, vitamins, minerals, water and fats in their right proportion. In other words, he/she should eat balanced diets so long as they do not contain those forbidden items
