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Diet for high blood pressure

, medical expert
Last reviewed: 04.07.2025
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Diet for high blood pressure is the right solution for normalizing the condition, both in adults and children. Let's look at ways to lower blood pressure, nutrition rules and diet for people with high blood pressure.

In an adult, normal blood pressure is 120 to 80. Blood pressure is considered high when the upper, or systolic, blood pressure is 140 and the lower, or diastolic, is 90. High blood pressure is a real test for the body, it is a constant risk. According to medical statistics, the mortality rate of people with high blood pressure is very high. High blood pressure is the cause of cardiovascular diseases. High blood pressure is a provoking factor for various types of ailments and constant migraines.

Diet for high blood pressure

High blood pressure is called hypertension, and most often it appears against the background of excess weight. There is a theory according to which every extra kilogram of weight increases blood pressure by 1 mm Hg. Diet for high blood pressure is aimed at normalizing the water-salt balance and bringing the body into order.

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Nutrition for high blood pressure

Nutrition for high blood pressure should be carefully selected and, most importantly, balanced. Every day, the diet should contain fats, carbohydrates and proteins. The daily calorie intake is distributed as follows: 15% proteins, 55% carbohydrates and 30% fats. The number of meals should be from 5 to 7 times a day, and it is necessary to eat at a strictly set time. The interval between the first and last meal should not be longer than ten hours. At the same time, overeating before bed is prohibited.

It would be a good idea to limit salt intake to 5-3 grams per day. This will allow you to remove fluid from your body faster, without retaining it and causing swelling. Another important rule of nutrition for high blood pressure is to maintain a drinking regimen. Eliminate carbonated and sweet drinks. You should drink at least 1.5-2 liters of water daily. Warm drinks made from green tea, chicory tea, and hibiscus tea will be useful.

Sample menu for high blood pressure

Knowing the basics of proper nutrition and basic medical recommendations, you can make an approximate menu for high blood pressure. Based on the recommended and prohibited products, we offer you an approximate diet for a week for people with hypertension.

Breakfast:

  • Fresh cottage cheese.
  • Tea (herbal or green).
  • Whole grain bread and a slice of cheese.
  • Juice from fruits or vegetables.
  • Oatmeal with milk.
  • Any fruit.

Snack

  • Vegetable or fruit salad.
  • A cup of rosehip infusion or tea.
  • Apple or pumpkin puree.
  • A glass of mineral water or green tea.

Dinner

  • Any fish and lean meat, steamed or boiled.
  • Vegetable stew or salad with vegetable oil.
  • Juice from vegetables with pulp.
  • Steamed cutlets with sour cream sauce.
  • Boiled potatoes.
  • Compote or baked fruit.

Snack

  • A couple of grain croutons.
  • A cup of green tea or hibiscus tea drink.
  • Any fruit.
  • Cottage cheese or a piece of cottage cheese casserole.

Dinner

  • Yogurt or a glass of kefir.
  • Fresh vegetable salad.
  • Oatmeal porridge.
  • Steamed vegetable cutlets.
  • A cup of green tea.

Snack (before bed)

  • A glass of kefir or milk
  • An apple or half a grapefruit

A diet for high blood pressure should be based on fruits and vegetables, preferably without heat treatment. Fish dishes, lean (dietary) meat (boiled) will be useful. Dairy products and products containing a lot of protein. It is strictly forbidden to sit on low-calorie diets and starve, and it is also mandatory to follow a drinking regime. Following all these rules allows you to normalize high blood pressure.

What foods can you eat if you have high blood pressure?

If you have hypertension, you are probably interested in the question of what foods you can eat so as not to increase your blood pressure, but rather to normalize it. Let's look at the main types of foods that are allowed and recommended for consumption by people with high blood pressure:

  • Rusks, dried bread made from first and second grade flour.
  • Fresh vegetables and salads made from them, seafood, fish, meat (boiled).
  • Soups without frying with porridges, milk porridges and soups, fruit first courses.
  • Fresh vegetables in any quantity, eggplant or squash caviar.
  • Porridge (buckwheat, barley), boiled pasta, dumplings.
  • Any egg dishes (it is recommended to consume no more than two eggs per day).
  • Fermented milk products, cottage cheese, cream, yogurt, sour cream, kefir, butter.
  • Chicken, rabbit, turkey, veal (only boiled).
  • Dill, parsley and spices such as cinnamon, vanillin, bay leaf.
  • Fresh berries and fruits, compotes, jelly.
  • Honey, jam.
  • Decoctions, fresh fruit juices, teas.

What foods should you not eat if you have high blood pressure?

When making a meal plan for people with high blood pressure, it is necessary to know what foods should not be eaten. First of all, you need to remember that you need to eat five to seven times a day. Daily calorie intake should be at the level of 2000-2600 kcal. Proteins 100 grams, carbohydrates - 300-400 grams and fats - 50-100 grams. Let's look at foods prohibited for consumption with hypertension.

  • Pastries, fresh bread, pies, buns and any flour products.
  • Salty, spicy, smoked, fried dishes.
  • Soups with meat broth, mushroom soups, canned fish and meat.
  • Garlic, beans, pickled vegetables.
  • Fatty cheeses, fatty fish, meat, animal fats.
  • Duck meat, liver, brains.
  • Horseradish, mustard, mayonnaise.
  • Carbonated drinks, chocolate, coffee.

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