"Talk when you eat!" How should patients with hypertension eat nutritiously? Please keep this guide!

In order to increase people's attention to hypertension monitoring, strengthen self-management of hypertension, and develop good healthy living habits, recently, the Clinical Nutrition and Medicinal Diet Therapy Department of Hunan Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine and Zhuzhou Health Management Association jointly held a lecture on hypertension diet and nutritional guidance for residents in Gaotailing Community, Qunfeng Town, Zhuzhou City .

During the publicity process, staff from the Qunfeng Town Health Center monitored the blood pressure and blood sugar of the residents, allowing them to better understand their physical symptoms and seek medical treatment in a timely manner if they feel unwell.

1. What is hypertension?

Hypertension , also known as high blood pressure, is a phenomenon in which the pressure exerted by blood on the blood vessel walls when flowing in the blood vessels is continuously higher than normal.

Hypertension is often called the "silent killer". Most patients may develop the disease without any symptoms, and the long-term higher-than-normal pressure on the blood vessel walls can lead to serious diseases such as coronary heart disease and stroke.

The "Guidelines for the Prevention and Treatment of Hypertension in China" revised in 2018 defines hypertension as three clinic blood pressure values ​​that are higher than normal without the use of antihypertensive drugs, that is, clinic systolic blood pressure (commonly known as high blood pressure) ≥ 140 mmHg and/or diastolic blood pressure (commonly known as low blood pressure) ≥ 90 mmHg, and each blood pressure measurement is not on the same day.

The "Chinese Hypertension Clinical Practice Guidelines" released in November 2022 recommends lowering the diagnostic threshold for hypertension in adults to systolic blood pressure ≥130 mmHg and/or diastolic blood pressure ≥80 mmHg.

What are the dangers of high blood pressure?

1. Symptoms: dizziness, headache, blurred vision, chest tightness, fatigue, etc.

2. Asymptomatic: People only realize they have high blood pressure after they have dialysis, stroke, or heart disease (silent killer).

2. What are the symptoms of hypertension?

1. Continuous high blood pressure can cause damage to important organs such as the heart, brain, kidneys, and fundus . In severe cases, serious complications such as stroke, myocardial infarction, heart failure, and insomnia may occur.

2. The higher the blood pressure, the longer the course of the disease, the more unhealthy the lifestyle, the more serious the damage to the body, and the greater the risk of cardiovascular disease.

3. Once hypertension develops complications such as heart, brain, and kidney problems, the consequences are very serious. Mild cases may cause disability, and severe cases may cause death. The medical expenses are also relatively high, which has a huge impact on physical health and quality of life.

3. Nutritional guidelines for hypertension

1. Healthy diet

Reduce salt intake and encourage the consumption of low-salt, low-sugar, and low-fat diets. Balanced nutrition, it is recommended to consume an average of more than 12 kinds of food per day and more than 25 kinds of food per week; supplement with appropriate amounts of lean meat, eggs, milk, soy products and other proteins.

2. Energy control

Limit total calories, reduce the intake of animal foods and animal oils, change cooking oils frequently, and consume a variety of vegetable oils. Maintain a healthy weight, and reduce energy intake for overweight people.

3. Increase your intake of potassium-rich foods

Low sodium salt can be chosen, except for kidney disease and hyperkalemia.

4. Fruits and vegetables

Ensure daily intake of no less than 500g of vegetables and 200g-350g of fruit.

5. Reduce intake of saturated fatty acids and cholesterol

Increase the intake of unsaturated fatty acids and try to avoid trans fatty acids.

6. Limit Alcohol

Do not drink alcohol or alcoholic beverages (25 g/day for men and 15 g/day for women).

Those who do not see good results after changing their lifestyle habits above can go to the Department of Clinical Nutrition and Dietetic Therapy for precise adjustments in nutrition in the hope of better improvement!

Hunan Medical Chat Special Author: Liu Huan, Department of Clinical Nutrition and Dietetics, Hunan Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine

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(Edited by YT)