High Blood Pressure Diet Plan

High blood pressure is asymptomatic, i.e, it generally shows no symptoms and that is reason why most people have high blood pressure for years, without even knowing about it. When this disorder reaches a crucial stage, it may become the prime reason for heart failure, stroke, kidney failure and heart attack. In absence of no symptoms for this medical disorder, it is wise to have your blood pressure checked regularly. In this way, you can keep a close watch on your health. Following a high blood pressure diet plan is also equally vital to keep this illness at bay and also helps in reducing its adverse effects on health.

Diet Plans for High Blood Pressure

Vegetarian Diet
Incidence of high blood pressure and other symptoms of cardiovascular diseases is found to be low among vegetarians. This is simply because, a vegetarian diet has abundant quantity of potassium ,complex carbohydrates (highly effective in reducing high BP), polyunsaturated fat, fiber, calcium and magnesium. These substances increases a person's immunity against high blood pressure. Vitamin A and vitamin C are also a part of vegetarian diet and contribute towards lowering high blood pressure. Following is a list of some nutritious veggies that make for a high blood pressure diet plan.

• Brussels sprouts
• Bok choy and kale
• Broccoli
• Cauliflower
• Cabbage
• Chive
• Elephant Garlic
• Garlic
  
• Grey shallot or green oignon
• Leek
• Lettuce
• Mustard greens
• Onion
• Spring onion / green shallot / scallion
• Spinach
• Swiss chard
• Water chestnut

Foods High In Fiber for High Blood Pressure Diet Plan
A high fiber diet has always proved effective in countering various heart-related diseases, along with high blood pressure. Apart from vegetables, fruits and whole grains are rich sources of fiber. Some examples of fiber rich foods are:

Whole Grains

• Breakfast cereals
• Brown rice
• Barley
• Corn
• Grams
• Millet
• Oats
• Rice
• Rye
• Whole-meal bread
• Whole wheat berries
• Whole wheat bulgur
• Whole wheat couscous pasta
• Wheat

High Fiber Fruits

• Apples
• Apricots
• Blackberries
• Blueberries
• Dates
• Oranges
• Pears
• Prunes
• Raisins
• Raspberries
• Strawberries

Fish Products for High Blood Pressure Diet Plan
It is obvious that people following a strict vegetarian diet to control high blood pressure, can easily become deficient in protein. So an alternative to food items which although are high in protein, but may raise cholesterol levels in the body, is fish. Fish products are known to have protective effect against various heart diseases, and so forms an important part of a prudent diet to lower high blood pressure levels. Fish contains high level of omega 3 fatty acids, and these acids are known to reduce cases of high blood pressure. Oily fish such as mackerel, herrings, salmons and trouts should extensively be included in the diet for people with high blood pressure.

Less Salt and Sugar for High Blood Pressure Diet Plan
Avoiding salt in the diet can drastically help people suffering from high blood pressure. Studies have revealed that people who have high quantity of salt in their diet, have the highest possibility of suffering from blood pressure. It is recommended to consume about 1 teaspoon of salt a day in order to prevent and reduce chances of high blood pressure. Now, for some people, it may be quite a daunting task to reduce their salt intake to only 1 teaspoon a day! But, it is better to have less salt instead of requiring to have tons of medicines to lower high blood pressure.

Sugar, the 'sweet enemy' has also been a major cause for high blood pressure in people who have cravings for the 'sweet stuff'. Excessive sugar in the diet leads to weight gain and ultimately to an increase in blood pressure level. Sweet products have a tendency to make their way to the intestines immediately after they have been consumed. This triggers an instantaneous reaction for the pancreas to produce insulin. Too much production of insulin cannot be handled by the kidney, and hence causes high blood pressure. So sticking to the required amount of sugar in our diet, and not going for excess of 'sweet stuffs', greatly helps in keeping blood pressure under control.

Thus a high blood pressure diet plan, as we can see from the above description, is a prudent diet; smart selection of healthy foods. Adequate control and discipline is needed in order to maintain a normal blood pressure level. It may not be so simple as it seems, but a bit of compromise now, will let you enjoy a healthy life later!