High blood pressure means the heart has to put in more effort to pump blood. This force can cause damage to blood vessels which can lead to heart attack, brain stroke, kidney damage or nerve damage.
Daljit Kaur, Chief Clinical Nutritionist, Fortis Escorts, Okhla Road, Delhi, suggests a healthy diet to reduce the blood pressure:
Maintain ideal body weight, avoid too much sugary foods
Exercise 30 minutes brisk walking every day is recommended to reduce the blood pressure
Reduce sodium chloride intake up to 2 to 5 grams per day.
Read the food labels. Salt preserved foods like meat, ham, sausages, and smoked fish should be avoided.
Food containing more salt like chips, papadh, salted nuts, and saltedpopcorns should be avoided.
Food preserved with sodium like ketchup, sauce, pickle, chutney, processed food like cheese and salted butter food enhancers MSG should not be included in the diet.
To make the food more palatable a variety of condiments herbs and spices, lemon, vinegar, tamarind, onion, garlic, ginger can be used.
Choose whole grains, whole pulses and lean proteins such a fish and poultry.
Cooking method should be baking, broiling, roasting, steaming to avoid frying.
Avoid saturated fats, Trans fats, and cholesterol rich foods. Include omega 3 fatty acids like walnut, flax seeds.
Use skimmed milk and products.
Take plenty of fruits and vegetables.
Limit alcohol intake.
( With inputs from IANS )