An ideal diet for people with hypertension

by Joba Botana

Most diet methods—if not all—have certain limitations both in portion and kinds of food to eat and the [type of] people who are allowed to undergo a certain diet. Those suffering from diseases such as diabetes, hypertension or high-blood pressure and even anaemia among many other [hereditary] illnesses are advised not to engage in fad diets. If they intent to undergo a certain diet, they should first seek assistance from their doctor/s as well as a registered dietician and nutritionist.

In my diet articles, I always reiterate the importance of seeking medical advice because, for one, even if you are not suffering from any disease such as the aforementioned, it is possible that you have allergies or worse, a disease that isn’t diagnosed yet. And diet modification may cause these allergies and diseases to react. Before you realize it, you have already done more harm than good to your body. Another reason why you should first see your doctor or dietician is because, they know what diet methods may work and may not work on you.

Understanding the relationship between food and disease may help doctors in developing strategies for disease prevention and therapy with the aid of therapeutic advancements. The good news for people who are suffering from diseases especially hypertension is that there is a specialty area called Medical Nutrition Therapy. The most popular areas under it are Elimination Diet (for food allergies), G.E.R.D. diet (to help reduce esophageal reflux disease), MyPyramid Plan (an individualized diet based on activity levels) and the Dash diet for people with hypertension, which will be discussed in detail.

Before we delve more on this, let me clarify that this article is for educational purposes only and is not intended to replace or substitute a medical consultation. As mentioned earlier, people should always seek a doctor’s advice to determine if a certain diet or the DASH diet, for that matter, is appropriate in relation to their medical condition.

Dash diet 101

The Dash diet or Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension is a method to treat high blood pressure and is included in Evidence Based Medical Nutrition Therapy in most hospital settings around the world. This method requires the person to eat four to five servings of fruit, four to five servings of vegetables and two to three servings of low-fat dairy daily. The total fat consumption must be less than 25 percent per serving. The Dash method, together with lifestyle changes (including non-smoking, no alcohol intake and regular exercise), can prevent the onset of high blood pressure. The key to achieving a healthier body is by maintaining a healthy weight (which can be achieved by religiously following the method), participating in exercise programs or doing a supervised exercise program your own, and moderate or better, non consumption of alcohol.

How to start

Unlike other diets, the Dash eating plan requires no special food or recipe to follow. It involves intake of high-fiber food such as vegetables, cooked dried peas and beans (legumes), whole-grain food, bran, cereals, pasta, rice and fresh fruits. High-fiber foods are known to aid in digestion and metabolism as well as in lowering the levels of bad cholesterol preventing the onset of other diseases aside from hypertension like diabetes mellitus.

Meat consumption must be moderate. It should be treated as part of a meal rather than a main course or a meal itself. Suggested meat sources should come from roasted seafood, skinless poultry or lean meats.

The role of sodium

According to health professionals, sodium is the most important mineral in controlling blood pressure because it helps keep normal fluids in the body balanced. People may not be aware of it but they may be eating foods with excessive amount of sodium. It should be noted that some food may not taste salty but can be high in sodium. Too much sodium intake causes the body to retain too much water.

According to Dr. Victor Vesuna, one of the pioneers in Phytotherapy Research in the Philippines, who specializes in Integrative Medicine focusing in Preventive Nutrition, Lifestyle and Wellness Medicine, switching from a high-sodium diet to a low-sodium one can modestly reduce blood pressure in people who have normal blood pressure.

“When the sodium intake is lowered from 4000 mg to 2000 mg per day, blood pressure falls by two to three mmHg. This reduction may be as great as 10mmHg over several years and can be substantially lower the risk of heart disease,” he says.

The key goal of the Dash diet is to reduce the person’s sodium intake, since it can dramatically increase blood pressure in people who are sensitive to its effects. According to the Mayo Clinic Web site, there are two versions of the Dash diet—the Standard Dash diet, where one can consume up to 2,300mg of sodium a day; and Lower sodium Dash diet, where one is allowed to consume up to 1,500mg of sodium a day.

Both versions aim to reduce the amount of sodium in the diet compared with the amount of sodium one may get from a more traditional diet, which can be more than 5,000mg if we are considering Filipino cuisine. Studies, however, reveal that the lower sodium version of the Dash diet is especially helpful in lowering blood pressure of middle-aged people or older.

The sodium requirement to lower blood pressure may be an obstacle for some Filipinos because most of our dishes are salty and reducing the amount of salt can make the food less palatable. However, replacing salt with monosodium glutamate reduces the sodium content of the recipe by up to 40 percent without compromising the taste of the food, as MSG contains one third of sodium (gram per gram). Monosodium glutamate id classified as a safe food additive by the World Health Organization and is included in the Generally Recognized As Safe (GRAS) by the US Food and Drug Association. In comparison, one tablespoon of table salt contains 2,400mg sodium, which is even less than the amount recommended by the Dash diet. Umami, which is considered as the fifth taste, complements the human’s four basic tastes—sweet, sour, bitter, salty—and is present in food such as tomatoes, mushrooms and cheese such as parmesan. The umami taste is abundant in monosodium glutamate, enhancing the meaty or savory taste of the food while reducing the body’s consumption of sodium. Although Dash diet is not a weight loss plan, it is an effective tool for most overweight people in managing heart health, lowering excessive cholesterol and preventing diabetes.

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