Any ideas on what foods help lower hyper-tension and are easy to fix?

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Any ideas on what foods help lower hyper-tension and are easy to fix?

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Dementia Mom, diagnosed with Hyper-tension.Mom does not cook on stove top to dangerous. Dr. put her on Lisinprol,Atenol and said call him in 21 days,, YA right, I need to start getting her pressure under control quickly, Any food ideas, NO spicey food she has a ulcer, Thank you

Diet & Nutrition

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That's actually a tough question. Normally I would say lots of fruits and veggies, but you have to be very careful while she takes Lisinopril. It tends to keep potassium in your system, and high potassium can make your heart race. Forget any frozen foods, they are all loaded with salt. Fresh foods with magnesium help. Make her a salad with fresh spinach, unsalted nuts and seeds, fresh apple pieces and sweet onion. Dark Chocolate is an excellent source of magnesium. One small glass of dry red wine is a vasodilator, give it at bedtime. Whole grains are good, Like Oatmeal and Bran Flakes.

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You could try the DASH diet (Dietary Approach to Stop Hypertension); Mayo Clinic has a good page describing it:
http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-living/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/in-depth/dash-diet/art-20048456

Did the doctor say what her target BP should be? For frailer older adults, aiming for a systolic in the 140s is usually good. I ask because it sounds like she was started on two medications, which seems like a lot.

A recently published Yale study just found that blood pressure medication in older adults is associated with a higher risk of serious falls. Treating high blood pressure is important but studies show that the main benefit is in getting high blood pressure from 170s-180s down to 140s-150s. After that it's hard to show benefit in bringing it lower, and the chance of side-effects goes up.

In my experience, older adults are often on more high blood pressure than they likely need...a little medication can go a long way in older adults, and many busy docs underestimate the downsides of over-treating (falls, dizziness, cost of meds, pill burden, etc.)

If you can get a home BP machine and check on your own every day (or every few days) while the doctor is figuring out the right treatment for her, that will help him find the right doses more quickly.

Good luck.

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Garlic - fresh or in capsule or tablet form. Fresh is best - add to casseroles if your mum can cook food in her oven, chop or grate and spinkle over salads, and if she has a juicer, add one or two cloves of garlic every morning to the juice of whatever fruits she likes. The garlic won't overpower the flavour but will definitely lower the blood pressure. If you want to experiment - try one day with the juice and another without, and on both days measure her blood pressure at mid-day. You will see a difference.

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No salt or prepared foods. They are all loaded with the stuff. I may a turkey or some large roasted meat on sunday so we can cut sandwich meat all week. Works like a charm. Same thing with collard greens for FIL who loves them, also can make a stew and freeze in individual containers for quick meals. I have had HBP for 20 years and there really is a marked difference if I cheat on the diet.. vigilant every day!

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Sky, will she be reliable about taking the meds? That is the first important consideration. My mom was put on meds and her blood pressure continues to be too high. She claimed to be taking the pills every day, but we knew she couldn't be and still have many left as she did. Doctor said she couldn't adjust the dose without knowing what Mom was taking now logically enough). When we got a visiting nurse involved and she took the pills regularly no dose change was needed.

Along with the pills reducing sodium intake is helpful. Did the doctor explain that? Any healthy foods and a few treats should be fine, but read labels for sodium content! Not all frozen dinners are created equal in the regard. Labels tell the story.

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This is not a difficult thing--acid vs. alkaline balance most important. Beef, for instance, has a high salt value. Raw foods are best which provide natural enzymes, like grated apple carrot salad. If the carrot is difficult, put in a food processor. I like apple, carrot, beet salad. Lettuce is especially good for hypertension. Frozen fish cooked in a microwave with rice. No spices, salt, or cheese. ( I find feta works for me). Cook vegetables in microwave. Broccoli with lemon or a little salt free butter or substitute. Make your own salad dressing. Use lemon or vinegar with olive oil. I use mashed raw garlic as well, you may not enjoy this. Cranberry-apple sauce with cinnamon, add agave sweetener. Make your own sprouts from lentils, peas, seeds. Try these simple easy recipes. No coffee, use green tea instead. Coconut milk is very available these days and delicious, instead of diary milk. Bon appetite!

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This is not a difficult thing--acid vs. alkaline balance most important. Beef, for instance, creates acidity in the blood, has a high salt value. Raw foods are best which provide natural enzymes, like grated apple carrot salad. If the carrot is difficult, put in a food processor. I like apple, carrot, beet salad. Lettuce is especially good for hypertension. Frozen fish cooked in a microwave with rice. No spices, salt, or cheese. ( I find feta works for me). Cook vegetables in microwave. Broccoli with lemon or a little salt free butter or substitute. Make your own salad dressing. Use lemon or vinegar with olive oil. I use mashed raw garlic as well, you may not enjoy this. Cranberry-apple sauce with cinnamon, add agave sweetener. Make your own sprouts from lentils, peas, seeds. Try these simple easy recipes. No coffee, use green tea instead. Coconut milk is very available these days and delicious, instead of diary milk. Bon appetite!

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Haviing worked in a congestive heart failure clinic, we educated our patients about the use of salt, sodium containing foods. The foods containing salt or people adding salt to their food was killing them. We once had a patient who's blood levels had risen extremely high. He insisted he did not have salt. When asked what he ate yesterday, he said "I had 2 hotdogs for lunch". People with hypertension need to reduce the amount of salt/sodium. Period!

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Mary, please make your MD aware of the Himalayan rock salt. It contains 400 ppm of Lithium, which is known to proliferate some types of Breast Cancer. Bring him a sample of what you are using, in the original container.

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Read labels. When we started looking at labels for Mom and Dad a few years ago, it was shocking how much sodium was in foods that were presumably. Make a list of your mom's favorite foods and veggies (i am not sure, but i think celery has soduim) and look them up. Write down the sodium and carb amounts (the world food people just today reduced the sugars recommended to half the past amount). Then think of "stir fry" type of meals. Chopped veggies, fish, chicken, turkey, less red meat, eggs. Bring your mom some meals set up for microwave each or every other day. Also lemon grass (lemon zinger tea) can help flush out water, as does, oddly, more water. Keep her hydrated. My Dad loves fresh fruit for desert. He also loves Oatmeal.

Any ideas on what foods help lower hyper-tension and are easy to fix?

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