Hypertension is a slowly progressive disease and many times diagnosed during unrelated medical examination. The common types of hypertension can not be cured but can be controlled effectively by change in life style, diet and medication, alone or in combination. With a good control a person can lead a good quality normal life. Diet is an integral part in the management for hypertension. Just by disciplining himself on what he eat, he can surely reduce his medicine requirement and many times even could get ride off medicine.

A low fat, low sodium and high potassium diet will help to lower high blood pressure. High intake of animal fat or hydrogenated oils, which contain saturated fatty acids, is better to be avoided. The cholesterol rich foods such as liver, meat, organ meat, egg yolk, lobster, crab and prawns also should be avoided in the diet. Poultry with out skin are better than other types of meat. The dietary oils should consist of vegetable oil like corn oil, olive oil, safflower oil and sunflower oil.

Sodium can be restricted to 2-3 gm per day where as potassium intake should be increased especially with patients who are on diuretics which do not spare potassium. Apricots, tomato, chickoo, watermelon, banana, bitter gourd, bottle gourd, brinjal and potato should be included in the daily diet since they contain low sodium and high potassium. Avoid baking powder and soda in all the preparations. Avoid salty items like chips, pickles, canned and tinned foodstuff, salted butter and cheese, pappad, sea fish, dried fish, and salted meat Hypertensive patients with kidney disease should avoid a high intake of potassium as it puts an excessive load on the kidney.

Sample Menu for 2100 kcal Diet

	Diet plan A (Vegetarian)	Diet plan B (Non vegetarian)
Early morning	Tea / Coffee - 1 cup	Tea / Coffee - 1 cup
Breakfast	Veg sandwich - 1 Milk with sugar - 1 cup	Egg sandwich - 1 Milk with sugar - 1 cup
Mid morning	Water melon juice- 1 glass	Orange juice - 1 glass
Lunch	Rice - 1 1/2 cup Chapathi - 2 Dhal - 1 cup Torai Veg - 1 1/2 cup Curd - 1 cup Salad 1 serving	Rice - 1 1/2 cup Chapathi - 2 Fish curry - 2 piece Brinjal Veg - 1 1/2 cup Salad with paneer - 1 serving
Mid evening	Tea / Coffee - 1 cup	Tea / Coffee - 1 cup
Dinner	Chapathi - 2 Dhal - 1 cup Parwal Veg - 1 1/2 cup Paneer - 2 pieces Salad - 1 serving	Chapathi - 2 Grilled chicken - 2 leg (small) Karela veg - 1 1/2 cup salad - 1 serving
Bed time	Banana - 1	Papaya - 1/4th of a medium size

Read All Articles

Image: Flickr/creativecommons eliazar