Are you worried about your blood pressure soaring when you go out for fun or eat out? Here are the things that patients with hypertension should pay attention to.

During the National Day holiday, friends and family may gather together or go out for fun, and eating and drinking outside is inevitable, but for patients with hypertension, how to eat safely and control blood pressure has become a topic that cannot be ignored. How to avoid "holiday sickness" and spend the holiday happily? Today we will talk about the correct way for patients with hypertension to spend their holidays.

1. Why is it easy to have high blood pressure when eating out? The culprit is actually not salt

As we all know, high blood pressure can cause stroke, heart attack, heart failure, kidney damage and many other health problems. It is the chronic disease with the highest number of patients in our country and is called the "invisible killer" that affects human health.

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In view of this, many people who suffer from high blood pressure strictly follow the doctor's advice of "don't eat too salty food" and "don't eat too much salt". They are very cautious when eating out and only eat light food. As a result, their blood pressure not only does not go down, but it actually goes up! In fact, it is not salt but sodium that induces high blood pressure. In addition to salt, pickled vegetables, meat and processed products, snack foods, soy products, vegetables, fruits, etc. also contain a certain amount of "sodium". Excessive sodium intake will cause water and sodium retention, resulting in increased blood volume, which is the fundamental reason for high blood pressure.

Let's remember a formula: 1 gram of salt ≈ 400 milligrams of sodium. Most people usually think that restaurant food is better than "mom's cooking". In fact, these dishes are often heavier than home food in order to pursue the taste. In the process of making soups, condiments, candied fruits and even bread, a lot of salt is added for pickling or seasoning, which unknowingly becomes an invisible "high sodium assassin". Therefore, even if you pay attention to the salt content, you may consume more sodium, which is not conducive to the stability of blood pressure.

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Just recently, the World Health Organization released the first-ever "Global Hypertension Report", which not only detailed the devastating impact of hypertension worldwide, but also made targeted suggestions for the prevention and control of hypertension. It specifically mentioned that limiting sodium intake, controlling alcohol consumption, quitting smoking, maintaining daily exercise and other lifestyle and eating habits are all effective means to prevent and control hypertension.

2. Eating out during the holidays is inevitable. How can patients with hypertension "save themselves"?

The WHO guidelines for drug treatment of hypertension in adults mention that for high blood pressure, reducing sodium content, consuming a diet rich in fiber, and consuming a large amount of high-potassium fruits and vegetables can help control blood pressure. So for those who want to enjoy holiday gatherings but are worried about high blood pressure, this scientific dietary guide is what you need:

01. Choose a restaurant with light flavors

A light diet is very important for patients with hypertension. Choose a regular, clean restaurant. On the premise of ensuring that the food is safe and hygienic, you should pay attention to the following points when ordering food:

First, eat more vegetables, especially green vegetables, and mainly eat fish, and less livestock meat, especially less fat.

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Second, choose more dishes that are cooked by healthy methods such as steaming, stewing, etc., such as steamed dishes, stewed dishes, steamed fish, etc., and do not choose dishes that are cooked by frying, deep-frying, baking, etc., such as braised fish, fried fish, etc.

Third, choose fresh ingredients and eat less smoked and cured meat products.

In addition, try not to order spicy, numbing or other heavy-flavored foods. If possible, you can mark "less salt and seasoning" when ordering.

02. Control the total amount of food

There are many types of food when dining out. If you eat a little of each and take a long time to eat, you will tend to eat too much, which will inevitably lead to excessive calorie intake. Gaining weight is a small matter, but your blood sugar and blood pressure are likely to rise quietly!

When eating, you can put a plate next to you and put the food on the plate to eat. This way you can know how much you have eaten and can also make nutritional combinations for the food. You can also use your senses to judge when you are 80% full - that is, when you feel full and can eat a little more, you can use your willpower to control the temptation of food. Eating in moderation is good for your health.

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03.Mix meat and vegetables for balanced nutrition

In restaurants, there are usually more meat dishes and fewer vegetable dishes. When ordering food, you should pay attention to the nutritional balance and order some vegetables, mushrooms, and soy products. In addition, it is easy to ignore staple foods when dining out. You can give priority to whole grains and cereals, and pay attention to eating less staple foods such as pastries.

In addition, try not to drink alcohol when dining out. If you really need to drink, be careful to control the amount. The amount of alcohol a man should not drink more than 25g a day, and women should not drink more than 15g.

3. Is hypertension easy to treat now? These misunderstandings are unbelievable

01. I am still young and I won’t get high blood pressure no matter what I eat.

It should be made clear that people of any age may suffer from high blood pressure. Most of the causes of high blood pressure in young people are related to some bad eating habits such as overeating, excessive drinking, and irregular work and rest. Only by controlling weight and calorie intake can the body stay healthy and avoid chronic diseases caused by incorrect diet.

02. Hypertensive patients cannot eat meat

Meat said: I don't take the blame! Meat contains nutrients such as fat and protein, which help maintain blood vessel elasticity. Blood vessels can only be healthy if they are used within a reasonable range. Hypertensive patients should mainly eat lean meat, fish, and chicken. The most important thing is to reduce the intake of high-fat and high-cholesterol foods, such as fatty meat and animal offal.

The Dietary Guidelines for Hypertension in Adults (2023 Edition) recommends appropriate protein supplementation by choosing more dairy, fish, and poultry. If you don’t like meat, you should eat more beans and their products, and nuts to ensure protein intake.

03. Eat more celery to lower blood pressure and say goodbye to antihypertensive drugs

Many people have heard that eating bananas and celery can lower blood pressure, and they always remind themselves that eating these is better than taking medicine. In fact, the legend that "celery can lower blood pressure" is related to celery extract apigenin, which has the effect of lowering blood pressure and dilating blood vessels, can prevent atherosclerosis, and can also inhibit the proliferation of vascular smooth muscle cells. But it is a bit too naive to rely on celery to treat high blood pressure. 95% of celery is composed of water, and the apigenin content is about 0.003% to 0.088%. To consume enough therapeutic amount of apigenin, you need to eat 1 to 30 kg of celery every day to achieve the goal!

Relying solely on so-called "blood pressure-lowering foods" and actively stopping medication will cause huge risks to your health.

Having said so much, in fact, it can be summed up in one sentence: a reasonable diet combined with a healthy lifestyle is a comprehensive strategy to maintain healthy blood pressure. In addition, it is recommended that patients with hypertension should remember to prepare antihypertensive drugs, blood pressure monitors, and warm clothes when traveling... Eat and move in balance, and have a peaceful mentality. I hope we can all have a happy holiday.

Author: Wang Guoyi: Postdoctoral fellow in Nutrition and Food Safety at China Agricultural University, Associate Professor at Beijing University of Technology

Produced by: Science Popularization China

Produced by: China Science and Technology Press Co., Ltd., China Science and Technology Publishing House (Beijing) Digital Media Co., Ltd.