Diets for High Blood Pressure
Helping You to Choose!
This list comprises of different and suitable diets for high blood pressure. For each diet I have written a brief description of what it`s all about. How they all work! So now all you have to do is see which one fits along with your doctor or nutritionist`s guidelines and start on the road to better health.
The Dash Diet
Who hasn`t heard of the Dash Diet? For those of you with salt sensitivity, this is one of the best diets for high blood pressure you could choose in combination with a lower salt intake.
The Dash diet was not designed to reduce weight but to promote the increase of vegetables, low-fat dairy products, grains, fruit, nuts and poultry and reduce fats, red meat, sugary drinks and sweets. This is to achieve a low fat and cholesterol intake while boosting the three minerals, potassium, calcium and magnesium, all needed to regulate blood pressure.
Because this diet encourages eating more vegetables and fruit and cutting out sugars, it also has the added benefit of weight loss too.
Children are at risk of developing high blood pressure in their early teens, so there is an urgency to train them while young to choose the “good foods” before they form bad eating habits. Having a brightly colored chart displaying the bad from the good, posted in the dining area, can help get the message across. I chose the one above on the right, because it`s fun and a great eye catcher, drawing children`s attention to the topic.
The GI Diet –
How many of you shop at Tesco? Quite a few I believe. Well have you notice some food items marked with a blue circle? Those are indications of low or medium Gi foods.
Gi stands for Glycemic Index. That`s a food index that lists the impact of each food on glucose levels, used to help diabetics.
Put simply, the higher the level of glucose, the higher the insulin, the more fat is stored. Read more about how it is linked with high blood pressure on my Sugar page
The Tesco Diet is ideal if you want to try the GI diet and you shop there often. The diet package has great information and you can manage your diet on-line. You start of being quite strict with yourself but later some foods are re-introduced back into your diet.
Scientific research has found a diet rich in fruit and vegetables as well as Omega 3 and 6 fatty acids helps to reduce high blood pressure significantly.
A food chart is a great idea to have posted on the wall of your kitchen, as a reminder of what foods you should be eating and a resource for making up your shopping list. Check the list daily for new ideas and food matches to compliment a healthy diet.