What is hypertension?

Hypertension is high blood pressure, medically defined as - Blood pressure which remains consistently high and not just once / twice is termed hypertension.

 Blood pressure is measured in two parameters. One is systolic (upper) and second is diastolic (lower), 120/80 mm of mercury, is the normal reading. But a lot of doctors consider 140/90 mm of mercury within the normal range in young adults.

 Causes:

 •          In most cases the cause for high blood pressure is not known.

 •          Familial heredity.

 •          Stress.

 •          Kidney pathology

 •          Hormonal imbalance.

 •          More than 80% of hypertension is "Essential hypertension" for which no cause can be found.

 Complications:

 •          Stroke

 •          Heart attack.

 •          Damage to kidney.

 Sign and symptoms:

 •          Majority cases of hypertension are detected accidentally as many are asymptomatic.

 •          Headaches on exertion or from sun.

 •          Chest pain or tightness.

 •          Palpitations.

 •          Tingling and numbness

 •          Muscle cramps.

 •          Nosebleeds and profuse perspiration are rare symptoms.

 Some dietary tips to manage hypertension:

 •          Cut down salt (common table salt) intake in your diet; do not exceed more then 2 to 2.5 gm a day.

 •          In case of severe hypertension do not consume salt at all till the blood pressure lowers down. Later you can start with balanced diet with low salt and fats in your diet.

 •          Add very little salt to food; do not add salt to cooked food.

 •          Avoid other sources of salts like- baking powder and baking soda (sodium bicarbonate), monosodium glutamate and sodium benzoate. These are commonly known as Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, onion salt, garlic salt and buillon salt.

 •          Avoid salt-preserved foods like ketchups, sauces, pickles, canned and processed foods.

 •          In case of severe hypertension avoid foods rich in sodium like- milk, egg white, meat, poultry, fish, green leafy vegetables, beet root, radish, carrot, cauliflower, lotus stem, pulses, spices like cumin seeds etc. Later when blood pressure lowers down gradually can resume fresh fruits and vegetables.

 •          Consumption of Bindweed (Shankhapushpi) is recommended, is beneficial in hypertension

 •          Consume food rich in magnesium:

 •          Animal foods: sea food - shellfish - crab, oyster etc are rich source of magnesium but are a good source of fats too hence should be avoided or consumed little and not more then once a week.

 •          Plant foods: Green leafy vegetables are best source of magnesium and they are devoid of fats and cholesterol.

 •          Sea plants like Japanese sea plants are very good source of magnesium.

 •          Nuts- ground nuts, walnut, almond and cashew nuts are most concentrated source of magnesium but should be consumed in a very limited quantity as they are high in fats. Nuts like ground nuts and rice bran oils are high in cholesterol, hence should be avoided.

 •          Magnesium is also obtained from Whole grains - wheat, brown rice and millets.

 •          Other food source of magnesium are peas, lotus stem, pulses, legumes and oil seeds.

 •          Increase calcium intake:-

 •          Animal foods: milk and sea food - shellfish - crab, oyster etc are good source of calcium and a good source of fats too hence should be avoided or consumed little and not more then once a week, you can have semi-skimmed or skimmed milk instead of whole fat milk.

 •          Nuts- ground nuts, walnut, almond and cashew nuts are also a good source of calcium and considerably high in fats so should be consumed in a very limited quantity as they are high in fats.

 •          Green leafy vegetables - mustard leaves, broccoli, fenugreek leaves, collards, kale, turnip greens, colocasia leaves and bok choy or Chinese cabbage are good sources of calcium.

 •          Whole grains - wheat, brown rice and millets especially finger millet is high in calcium.

 •          Certain fruits like - custard apple and banana are high in calcium.

 •          Other food sources are peas, lotus stem, pulses, legumes and oil seeds.

 •          Reduce intake of diet rich in saturated fats e.g. meat, eggs, milk products, cheese, butter etc.

 •          Avoid foods rich in cholesterol: ground nut oil, ghee, butter, whole milk, eggs, lard (fats derived from pig meat), tallow (fats derived from goat or sheep mutton), oily fish, meats and red meat - all non-vegetarian food contain cholesterol in varied amount.

 •          Avoid non-vegetarian food especially red meat.

 •          Increase intake of foods that contain PUFA's (poly unsaturated fatty acids): flax / linseed oil is the richest source of PUFA's. Other oils that contain PUFA's are safflower oil, soybean oil, cottonseed oil, maize oil, sesame oil, rich bran oil, ground nut oil, mustard oil and olive oil. As all oils are high in fats, its consumption should be limited. The intake of oils should not exceed 20gms a day.

 •          Consume whole grain cereals and whole pulses.

 •          Take high fiber diet - whole grains, bran, oat, green leafy vegetables, peas, beans, potatoes, raw vegetables, salads, dried fruits and fresh fruits.

 •          Eat fruits and vegetables with the skin.

 •          Cut down the intake of sugar and other sweeteners.

 •          Replace whole milk with semi-skimmed or skimmed milk.

 •          Avoid fat-rich portions of flesh foods. Instead have lean meat.

 •          Avoid fat-rich desserts and fried snacks like cakes, pastries, puddings etc

 •          Instead of frying food boil, steam, grill or roast food.

 •          Avoid coffee and caffeinated drinks.

 Note:

 •          Quit smoking and alcohol.

 •          Reduce weight if obese

 •          Walk every day briskly for at least 30 minutes.

 •          Meditation & yoga will help to reduce and tackle stress.

 •          Take medicines regularly and go for regular checkups.