Is High Blood Pressure In Your Cards?

One of the first clients I had came to me after she had been diagnosed with very high blood pressure.  She was put on a rather large dose of a beta blocker, as well as another cardiac drug, and the side affects were driving her bananas.  Her goal was to get off of her medications.  My goal was to help her do just that.  I have seen few people with as much determination as she had.  She was such a delight to work with.  She did absolutely everything I suggested, lost the weight she needed to (and then some) and was finally able to get off all her medications. 

High blood pressure is another one of those diseases that has become epidemic in our society.  And it is hitting people who are surprisingly young these days.  I have heard of cases of it at the grade-school level (i.e., grades K-6), with strokes occurring as young as 9 years old.   The danger of letting high blood pressure run amok, of course, is that it can lead to a stroke.  I believe that it would help all of us if we ate what is known as the DASH Diet (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension), whether we suffer from the disorder or not.  It has been my diet for the past 9 years (even though I am going to take it to a vegetarian level once Lent is over).  The Diet is actually intended to prevent hypertension, although, if followed precisely, it should reverse it.  The recommendations for the DASH Diet are as follows:

1.)  Limit salt  (new findings recommend that salt intake not exceed 1,500 mgs. per day)

2.)  Limit intake of high-fat foods (Bake and broil food rather than frying it and stay away from ooey gooey desserts)

3.)  Incorporate regular exercise into your daily routine, even if it is a 30-40 minute walk

4.)  Maintain a healthy weight  - see previous posts on how much you should weigh (1/29/11) and what your BMI is (1/26/11), and how many calories you should eat each day (1/23/11 and 1/25/11)  

5.)  Follow the Dash Diet:  On a 2,000-calorie per day diet, it is:

a.)  2-3 servings of low-fat or, preferably, fat-free dairy

b.)  4-5 servings of vegetables

c.)  4-5 servings of fruit

d.)  5 servings of grains (this used to be 7-8 and is too high by most standards, especially if you are even considering losing weight.  See 4/4/11 post for grains' serving sizes)

e.)  2 or fewer servings of meat, poultry, or fish

f.)  4-5 servings PER WEEK of nuts, seeds, and beans

g.)  Limit oils and sweets (select heart-healthy oils, such as olive or canola, and do not deep fry anything!)

For serving sizes, see my 2/4/11 post titled, "Bet You Can't Guess What These Random Items Are For".  Keep a food diary.  It's the only way to really know what you are eating each day.  And count your calories.  I know it sounds like a lot of work.  But if you have high blood pressure, you are making your heart do a lot of work that it should not be doing.  Trust me.  It's worth it, and after a while it just becomes a habit.  If you have any questions, please, please do not hesitate to ask.  Again, that is what I am here for.

Until next time, happy and healthy eating!

P.S.  For a photo and desciption of tonight's supper, see column on the right (under the Blog Archive).  The corn on the cob was delicious for such an early season crop.  I know, I know.  It was probably either grown with Round-Up Ready seeds or was genetically modified in some other way.  As long as it did not have worm, shrimp, or nut DNA mixed into it, we should be o.k. over here...