In deciding the diet as part of management of high blood pressure for better patients’ health, it is important to know what food items to be taken as well as what food items to be avoided. To decide what diet to take and what diet to avoid, the knowledge about nutrition and diet is essential. But the basic principle of hypertensive diet is restriction of sodium and fat (mainly unsaturated fatty acids, which are found in fats of animal origin) intake and to consume adequate amount of vitamins, minerals, dietary fibers, antioxidants (all these can be found in fresh fruits and vegetables) etc.
The main aim of hypertensive diet is to provide adequate nutrition for maintenance of good patients’ health (if possible optimal health) and to help in controlling blood pressure to within normal limit.
Preferred foods in high blood pressure:
The foods which are preferred in high blood pressure generally have low sodium content and have high potassium content. Common foods with low sodium contents and high potassium content are potatoes, bananas, apricots, legumes etc. and should be included in routine diet of hypertensive patients. Diet of hypertension patient should include high fiber diets like leafy vegetables, fresh fruits and other vegetables.
Diet for hypertension should be more or less normal. Food should be made in a way that it is palatable even with lesser amount of salt, which can be done by using variety of condiments which are low in sodium and flavoring agents such as lemon, vinegar, onion, garlic and many other spices. Use of these condiments and spices will make the food to more palatable with very little sodium salt or even without salt. The condiments may vary from country to country, but the basic idea is to improve acceptability of food according to the local customs and traditions and also to reduce or restrict salt intake.
Replacement of sodium salt (sodium chloride) with that of potassium salt is another alternative and it is a very practical and good alternative. It does not change the taste of food, but retain the original taste. Potassium salts can be purchased from any nearby medical store.