Every third of us has hypertension

Sodium chloride, which is the ubiquitous table salt, increases blood pressure. In 87 percent people under 45 years of age, she is the cause of hypertension. “It occurs when your systolic blood pressure rises above 140 mmHg for a long time and your diastolic blood pressure rises above 90 mmHg,” the drug says. med. Paweł Szajner. The WHO recommends that the daily salt intake should not exceed five grams, which is a flat teaspoon. In Poland, we eat far too much of it – from 8 to 15 g per day. We do not pay attention to the fact that apart from dishes to which we add it ourselves, salt is also found in ready-made products: bread, butter, cheese, french fries, cheeseburger, cold cuts, mayonnaise or stock cubes. There is also a lot of it in canned vegetables, ready meals, sauces and spice mixes. So let’s be careful what we eat. There is information on the salt content on the food packages. Let’s choose those with less salt. Let’s change the menu: cottage cheese instead of cheese, tinned peas with frozen ones, and cold cuts – with roasted meat. And from the children’s diet, let’s eliminate chips, salted peanuts, salty sticks, canned food.

Herbs are a great alternative to salt. By the way, they facilitate digestion, relieve gas, and support liver function. Their strong aroma reduces the craving for salt. Instead, use in the kitchen: basil, marjoram, tarragon, thyme, rosemary, coriander, bay leaves, sage or lovage. We can use both fresh and dried herbs for the prepared dishes. It is only important to add them at the end of cooking. Then they will not lose their aroma and properties. The taste of our dishes will also be emphasized by spices: pepper, turmeric, ginger, chili and cloves. It will be tasty and healthy.

The antihypertensive diet, in addition to lowering salt intake, is based on increasing the potassium content in our dishes. Salt contains sodium, which retains water in the body, and by increasing the amount of fluid, it raises blood pressure. Potassium eliminates sodium from the body. You must add vegetables or fruits to each meal, they are the source of potassium. So let’s include a tomato or a cucumber for breakfast, some fruit for lunch, salad for lunch, and lettuce for dinner. Let’s drink fruit juices (they cannot be salted and sweetened). This is important – you cannot take potassium prophylactically in tablets, as overdosing it can be fatal for the heart. Potassium deficiency can only be treated under medical supervision. A diet to prevent high blood pressure also requires you to give up foods that increase your cholesterol levels. You have to throw away animal fats, butter, lard. Give up pork and cheese. Let’s switch to poultry and fish. Dietary fiber will provide us with whole grain bread and pasta, and calcium with cottage cheese, kefir or low-fat yoghurt. Also remember that garlic, onion, broccoli, pepper, onion, cranberry, chokeberry contain substances that lower blood pressure. And in maintaining its proper level, omega-3 acids, which are present in vegetable oils and marine fish, help. On the other hand, bananas are a very good source of potassium.

Obesity promotes arterial hypertension, so don’t risk it, lose weight. Losing just 1 kg causes a pressure drop by 2-3 mmHg, so by losing 10 kg you reduce blood pressure by 20-30 mmHg. Keep your BMI between 20 and 25. If you don’t know what this is, ask your GP to calculate your BMI. When it comes out incorrect, contact a dietitian so that he can write a suitable diet for you. Eat often (four or five meals a day), but portions must be small. Throw away sweets from your menu. Remember that you need to exercise regularly.

– Changing the diet and lifestyle can lower blood pressure – Paweł Szajner assures. – However, regular physical activity is necessary. Sports must be done at least three times a week. However, not all activities are suitable for people with high blood pressure. Isometric exercises, such as weightlifting, are not recommended because they increase blood pressure. Aerobic exercise is effective in the fight against hypertension – so swim, cycle, jog, go for long walks. By the way, give up civilization amenities. Give up the car in favor of the bicycle, walk as much as possible, give up the elevator, the escalator. Just keep moving. Physical activity is so effective that it may be decisive in reducing the dose of drugs that lower blood pressure.

A person with hypertension should categorically give up smoking and minimize alcohol consumption. Both increase the pressure. Alcohol is allowed in really small amounts, and from time to time you can indulge in a glass of wine with your dinner. The pressure may also rise after drinks that contain caffeine – be careful with coffee, tea, soda. Scientists disagree about the effects of coffee on our health, as not all people react to it the same way. Therefore, if you have problems with blood pressure and have not quit coffee, measure your blood pressure half an hour after drinking it to see if you are susceptible to it. If it increased by 5-10 mmHg, give up coffee.

People who live under long-term stress are at risk of developing high blood pressure. So try to de-stress, regular walks, exercise (eg yoga) and… will help. long, regular sleep. Because in order to maintain the correct pressure, you need to rest a lot and often. If you still have high blood pressure despite following all of the above-mentioned rules, check for sleep apnea. If it is not treated, it leads to arterial hypertension.