A DASH For A Diet
I was not kidding when I mentioned the salty foods in my previous post. Our salt intake turned out to be way too high and in combination with stress it resulted in a stage 2 blood pressure for my loved one. Uh oh, that is no good, so what can we do to lower it?
The first thing to do of course or at least try to, is to let off the stress. That is not an easy task, but I think we are doing fairly well considering the circumstances. It is getting better by the day.
The second thing is exercise. We need to get more active; that treadmill has been calling our names for so long now. I don't think we can ignore it much longer. It has many advantages: it builds up stamina, helps loosing weight and physical strain is mental and emotional relaxation.
Last, but certainly not least, is a good diet. Since about a week now we are on the DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) diet and it already lowered the blood pressure substantially.
This diet is based on low fat, but mainly low sodium intake. It calls for 1500 mg a day, which is not easy to do when you consider that a normal healthy person would need only 2400 mg, but the average American takes in about 4000 mg!
It takes some adjustments as far as meals and snacks are concerned, but there are several product which are excellent alternatives for what you would normally consume. Instead of salt, use a no salt substitute: it gives the same flavor, but contains no salt at all.
Brown bread has less salt in it than white bread. There are several no salt added canned vegetables available and you can snack on fruit as much as you like.
These are just a few options, but with a little effort you can come up with lots of good, healthy meals. Sure, every now and then you have to compromise, but so far we have not been missing anything and it is working.
Most food tastes rather bland without salt and I am so glad we found a substitute for it. It may not be the 'real deal', but it does the trick and puts us back on track health wise. My recommendation to anyone with a high blood pressure is: make a DASH for it! Grin.
Believing comes from the heart and there is no alternative or substitute for it. On the contrary; a substitute will do you more harm than good and will cost you your everlasting life. It is best to follow in Jesus' footsteps and stay on track. :-)
Matthew 5:13
"You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men.
The first thing to do of course or at least try to, is to let off the stress. That is not an easy task, but I think we are doing fairly well considering the circumstances. It is getting better by the day.
The second thing is exercise. We need to get more active; that treadmill has been calling our names for so long now. I don't think we can ignore it much longer. It has many advantages: it builds up stamina, helps loosing weight and physical strain is mental and emotional relaxation.
Last, but certainly not least, is a good diet. Since about a week now we are on the DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) diet and it already lowered the blood pressure substantially.
This diet is based on low fat, but mainly low sodium intake. It calls for 1500 mg a day, which is not easy to do when you consider that a normal healthy person would need only 2400 mg, but the average American takes in about 4000 mg!
It takes some adjustments as far as meals and snacks are concerned, but there are several product which are excellent alternatives for what you would normally consume. Instead of salt, use a no salt substitute: it gives the same flavor, but contains no salt at all.
Brown bread has less salt in it than white bread. There are several no salt added canned vegetables available and you can snack on fruit as much as you like.
These are just a few options, but with a little effort you can come up with lots of good, healthy meals. Sure, every now and then you have to compromise, but so far we have not been missing anything and it is working.
Most food tastes rather bland without salt and I am so glad we found a substitute for it. It may not be the 'real deal', but it does the trick and puts us back on track health wise. My recommendation to anyone with a high blood pressure is: make a DASH for it! Grin.
Believing comes from the heart and there is no alternative or substitute for it. On the contrary; a substitute will do you more harm than good and will cost you your everlasting life. It is best to follow in Jesus' footsteps and stay on track. :-)
Matthew 5:13
"You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men.
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