Blood pressure can be raised or lowered by what you eat. A hypertension-compatible diet is essential in addition to exercise, sleeping, and changing your lifestyle. The following recommendations come from top American experts, registered nutritionists and dietitians with a focus on blood pressure:
1. Fran Sutherlin is a Colorado-based registered dietitian specializing in digestive wellness and chronic disease management. She came up with a very clear set of recommendations to meal plans that target those with hypertension. According to her, processed and packaged foods should be reduced in sodium to reduce blood pressure.
More calcium-rich foods, such dairy, shall be on the menu. In addition to dairy products, calcium-rich foods include kale, turnip greens, broccoli, brussel sprouts, and cabbage. Alternatively, you can choose canned fish (with bones) such as salmon, sardines, and mackerel.
Find Fran’s food plans here. Follow her at Facebook and LinkedIn.
2. Emily Lachtrupp, a registered dietitian based in Vermont, busted the myth about sea salt being healthier or more hypertentia-friendly than table salt.
Despite being marketed as a healthier salt, sea salt is actually no healthier than table salt. By weight, both salts contain approximately 40% sodium.
Nonetheless, sea salt may have less sodium by volume due to its larger crystals than table salt. There are fewer sea salt crystals in a given volume measurement because sea salt crystals are smaller. Table salt has 2,360 milligrams of sodium per teaspoon, whereas sea salt has 2,000 milligrams.
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3. The list of top US nutritionists, experts in blood pressure includes Amber Pankonin, a registered dietitian based in Nebraska. The owner of the food blog Stirlist have identified the worst snacks for hypertension.
First, sunflower seeds, they may contain up to 1000mg sodium per serving. Second, processed meats and cheese & crackers, sodium is used for preservation of this product. Third, chips and queso (processed cheese) – 390mg sodium per serving. Fourth, pickles.
Amber Pankonin says that most pickles range from 250 mg to 300 mg of sodium per 1 oz. serving. Fifth, canned soups and broths: almost 1,000mg sodium per serving. Sixth, frozen bagels or bagel bites. Though they may not taste salty, they contain quite a bit of sodium as well.
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4. Check out these easy summer recipes for hypertension sufferers by the Vermont-based dietitian Jessica Ball, MD, ranging from a veggie-packed salsa inspired by Texas caviar (aka cowboy caviar), a salad loaded with pretty produce, including golden beets, avocado, corn, microgreens and radishes.
Also, among her summer inspirations are frozen corn that makes a great year-round substitute for fresh corn out of season – to foods of the African diaspora with fresh summer fruit stars in a salad, a quick cucumber splash with garden greens, a trio of purple vegetables (cabbage, carrots and daikon), an air-fryer eggplant, Parmesan cheese in air-fryer broccoli.
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5. Sarah Garone, a registered nutrition and dietetic technician based in Arizona, identified fast food breakfasts to avoid, with too high blood pressure. She picked the following to her non-list: Carl’s Jr. Monster Biscui,The Egg-Normous Burrito from Burger King, The Double Sausage Breakfast Sandwich from Dunkin, The Gravy Breakfast Bowl from Dairy Queen, The Grilled Cheese Breakfast Sandwich With Sausage from Carl’s Jr, The Big Breakfast With Hotcakes from McDonald’s.
