My mom has high blood pressure what kind of diet should she eat?

Diet is very important when treating high blood pressure. Although there has been no cause identified for hypertension in 90 percent of people, dietary factors have been shown to influence blood pressure. People with hypertension can use the following food guidelines:


Avoid foods high in sodium.

Sodium causes vasoconstriction, the narrowing of blood vessels. Therefore, the amount of space blood has to travel through decreases. This decrease creates an increase in the resistance the blood has to overcome. This increased resistance makes it more difficult for the arteries to expand with each beat of the heart, causing the internal pressure to rise. High sodium foods include processed meats, salted snack foods, cheeses, and canned foods.


Eat foods high in potassium.

Good dietary sources of potassium include bananas, potatoes, avocados, tomato juice, grapefruit juice, and acorn squash. Potassium helps maintain intracellular osmotic pressure, which is the force required to stop the flow of water across a membrane.


Limit adding salt to foods, particularly in restaurants.

Most foods, especially at restaurants, are already high in sodium.


Use salt substitutes.


Eat calcium and magnesium rich foods to help reduce blood pressure.

Food sources rich in calcium include low-fat milk, green beans, sardines with bones, broccoli, spinach, and tofu. Good sources of magnesium-rich foods include any legumes and seeds, such as navy beans and sunflower seeds.


Lower saturated fat intake.

Saturated fat increases the level of low density lipoproteins (LDL), which tend to stick to the sides of the arterial wall. This deposit of fat is known as atherosclerosis. Atherosclerosis begins with the accumulation of fatty streaks on the inner arterial walls. When this fatty buildup enlarges and becomes hardened with minerals, such as calcium, it forms plaque. Plaque stiffens the arteries and narrows the passages through them. Thus, blood pressure rises. This rise in blood pressure is due to the arteries' lack of elasticity.

Any fruits and veggies, pretty much anything without lots of msg and salts.

You can eat lot of fruits and vegetables. Do of lot of excerise every day. And ask your doctor get a medicine to bring down the blood pressure.

Low fat, low carbohydrate diet.

Following a healthy nutrition plan, along with exercising and emotional rebalancing, will normalize blood pressure in most people.

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***Insulin is a major reason that high blood pressure persists. Most hypertensive patients have insulin receptors that are blunted; they don't work very well anymore. Therefore, the body needs to generate more insulin to get them to work.

This can lead to devastating consequences, as excessive insulin will cause serious complications -- far more so than blood sugar -- and is one of the prime causes of complications from high blood pressure and diabetes.

So the first step is to eliminate most grains and all sweets from your diet until your blood pressure and weight normalize; sugars and grains only tend to make your insulin levels remain elevated. Another way to lower your insulin levels would be to use exercise wisely. Most overweight hypertensive patients require a very comprehensive set of aerobic and anaerobic relatively intense exercise.