Seven simple food ways to keep hypertension away

We go wrong all the time - while eating fruits we slather them with salt, skewing thus their sodium-potassium ratio. Ditto with potato, which again is naturally high in potassium, a known sodium-cutter from the body. But while it is important to go easy on salt, it is not just the excess salt we eat that's the only culprit behind the rising number of hypertensives. A lot of other stuff we plate might be responsible too.

Here's a recent research-based round up of food habits that can make your numbers go north or help tame hypertension. Pay heed these aren't difficult to follow.

Reduce meals away from home

We have always known this but now there's a spanking new study published in March in the American Journal of Hypertension that shows a direct relation between meals eaten out (of home) and prehypertension and hypertension. Researchers in Singapore have found that even eating one extra meal out can raise the odds of prehypertension by 6 per cent. Significant percentage that!

Stop binge eating

While it is well known that binge eating can have an adverse effect on the brain, now researchers of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology, in an animal (done on rats) study published in March have shown that compulsive binging on foods that are high in fat and sugar can trigger specific molecular changes that can lead to high blood pressure too.

If chomping high sugar, high fat foods is a favourite pastime, then please understand that they are not just going straight to your waist, but to your heart too, alongside triggering biological pathways that lead to hypertension and other cardiac issues. So think before you munch.

And binge drinking

Binge drinking when young (in early adulthood) is associated with an increased likelihood of high blood pressure in men, according to a 2014 study.

Researchers from Boston Children's Hospital found frequent binge drinking over the past year in young adult men associated with a 1.7 times increased likelihood of developing hypertension. Another reason to go easy on alcohol, certainly.

Cut down on sugar

This I have mentioned in an earlier post too: sugar is proving to be a much bigger devil than even salt for leading to hypertension as new evidence points towards the huge impact sugar has on our blood pressure numbers.

BPA is dangerous

BPA (bisphenol A) is a baddie you might not know much about. But you can't escape it if you consume a lot of foods from cans lined with BPA. This chemical can up the risk of certain cancers, neurological disorders, infertility, diabetes and according to a new study, even raise your blood pressure.

A recent study, published in the journal Hypertension in December, 2014 by Korean researchers reported findings that suggested a 5 mmHg increase in systolic blood pressure after drinking two canned beverages lined with BPA.

Probiotics help

A study published in July last year in the journal Hypertension suggests regular intake of probiotics (found in probiotic milk, certain yogurts and supplements, may help keep the blood pressure tamed. The researchers though also noted that consuming probiotics for less than eight weeks didn't lower systolic or diastolic blood pressure - so long term, regular usage seems to be the key.

Watermelon delight

Finally the tastiest, juiciest news of them all. According to research published by Florida State University last year, delicious watermelon is not just a low calorie delight, but it might actually help prevent our blood pressure numbers from rising too.

In fact, researchers found that this fruit can significantly reduce blood pressure in overweight individuals both at rest and even while they are under stress.

Possibly because this potassium rich fruit is also loaded with L-citrulline, which gets converted into L-arginine (amino acid) required for the formation of nitric oxide, which is essential to regulate blood pressure in the body.

Now that summers are here, and the fruit is available in abundance, I'd say plate this red delight daily.

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