Eating Well With High Blood Pressure

When you have high blood pressure, eating healthy means so much more than just keeping your waistline trim. How you feel, your health, your very life depends on a healthy diet to control your high blood pressure. Not following through with an appropriate diet plan to control high blood pressure could have devastating consequences.

Luckily, all those rumors about healthy food tasting boring are not true. A healthy, and blood pressure friendly, diet can be delicious and enjoyable. You can eat well even with high blood pressure, you simply have get used to things being a little bit different. Here are some tips to help you eat well even with high blood pressure:

Learn To Cook Again

You have likely been cooking a certain way for years and years, but now that you have to accommodate a high blood pressure diet, you may have to change a few of your usual cooking habits. Don’t worry, you might find that this new way of cooking is still enjoyable, and the results still delicious.

Less Oil: Decrease the amount of oil you use when cooking, and also reconsider the types of oil that you are using. Try coconut oil and extra virgin olive oils instead of lard or shortening, they will also add a truly impressive depth of flavor. In some recipes, for example when sautéing, use low sodium broth instead of oil.

Baked: Instead of deep frying or even pan frying, start using your oven more. Baked entrees and meats are typically much more lean and healthy than fried. You can even replicate some “fried” options in a much healthier fashion. With chicken, for example, coat breasts or strips with 2 parts bread crumbs, 1 part flour and seasonings (no salt), lay the chicken out on a baking sheet, and then drizzling a very small amount of olive oil or melted margarine over it and bake as usual.

Unsalted: Avoid salting your food while you cook it. Instead, wait until you are eating to add extra flavor. You might even find that you don’t need all that extra salt.

Unprocessed: Stick to whole grains, produce, and lean meats. Avoid processed foods like boxed rice and pasta mixes. They might taste good, but they are packed with excess sodium and chemicals. You can recreate some of these flavors on your own with much healthier results.

Season Don’t Salt: Instead of using salt to flavor your foods, consider alternative options. Herbs and spices add an entirely different depth of flavor that is just incomparable. There are lots of salt free seasonings available in most every grocery store, in a huge variety of options. Lemon juice is also an excellent replacement for salt because it adds that touch of tang, which is truly what most people are missing when they think they need salt.

Just these simple modifications to your normal method of cooking can help you maintain a healthy and blood pressure friendly diet while still allowing you to enjoy your food. You can still eat well, even with high blood pressure. These little changes will go a long way to make your diet healthier, without forcing you to eat bland and boring food.  For more heart healthy ideas click here.