High blood pressure since pregnancy
Q I’m 31 years old and have high blood pressure since the time I was pregnant. What changes can I make in my diet? I exercise thrice a week and swim thrice a week. I weigh 90kg and I’m 5’2’’ inches tall.
AYour BMI is above 36; a person with a BMI of 30 or more is generally considered obese. Excess weight is also associated with increased blood pressure. Therefore, losing weight is crucial.
Overweight and obesity are attributed to increased intake of energy-dense foods and a trend towards sedentary lifestyle. Your age group would require approx 2,000 kcal for day to day activities. Eating 500 calories less per day, may lead to losing 0.5 to 1 kg per week. This is a realistic weight loss. Following are some important tips for weight reduction:
You will have to walk in moderate speed for one hour to burn the energy from one cup of cooked white medium grain rice (approx. 250 kcal); therefore, what you eat is very important.
Weight loss requires consistency. Most of us stick to our diet control during the week and then we convince ourselves for a feast on the weekend. Or we think that because we skipped breakfast, we can have a heavy lunch. Both are a bad choice.
Reduce your portion size and cut out all snacks not part of your diet plan.
Include plenty of fruits and green vegetables. Stay away from refined foods and starches and eat meat in very small amounts.
Indulge in 30 to 45 minutes of exercise. Slow your exercise down to no more than 85 per cent of your maximum heart rate (to calculate, subtract your age from 220 to get your max heart rate). At this pace, your body burns fats more effectively.
Not getting enough sleep can slow your metabolism making weight loss difficult.
According to Ayurveda; every human being is a unique creation and their body type is unique too. Which means their pulse rate and blood pressure is unique as well. A vata body type person, for example, might have a very varying BP in a day cycle; a Pitta body type might show sharp rise in BP according to emotional changes. A BP termed as Pre-Hypertension (systolic at 120-139 and diastolic at 80-89) may be a normal BP for a Vata person.
You may consume milk boiled with 5-10 grams of garlic as a home remedy.
Don’t eat uncooked food after sunset. Meet an Ayurvedic doctor in person.
There are a few preparations and therapies in ayurveda that can help treat hypertension.