You need to eat potassium-rich vegetables and fruits often and walk regularly.
The main foods that consume salt (sodium) that affects blood pressure are kimchi, stew, and noodles in that order. Sodium intake through home-cooked meals is continuously decreasing due to the spread of health information, ‘don’t eat salty’. On the other hand, sodium intake through eating out is on the rise. Office workers who eat out frequently should be careful. In particular, middle-aged women need special care because blood pressure rises due to hormonal changes after menopause.
◆ High blood pressure, why is it dangerous?… . Increased risk of stroke, stomach cancer and kidney disease
Salt (salt-sodium) is essential for health, such as maintaining osmotic pressure, but excessive intake is always a problem. As a result, high blood pressure puts life at risk and increases the risk of stroke (cerebral infarction-cerebral hemorrhage) with major sequelae such as paralysis of the body. The possibility of major chronic diseases such as stomach cancer, heart disease (angina pectoris-myocardial infarction), kidney disease, obesity, and osteoporosis also increases. It is because of this risk that health authorities around the world are paying attention to reducing sodium intake. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that salt intake not exceed 5 g (2000 mg sodium) per day.
◆ Should I ‘request’ when eating out… “Don’t salt it!”
70-80% of Koreans eat 1.5 times the amount of salt recommended by WHO. According to the data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, the main foods that consumed sodium were kimchi, stew, and noodles in the order of 20s, ramen, and stews after 50s. About half of sodium intake was at home and eating out. In particular, the prevalence of hypertension among office workers who eat out frequently is increasing. If you go to a restaurant that makes food salty for flavor, “don’t make it salty!” Enough to ask.
◆ If your blood pressure keeps getting higher… Vegetables, bananas, tomatoes, carrots, potatoes, etc.
If your blood pressure is getting higher, you should be careful not to blindly add salt when you eat seolleongtang. Even if it is rather bland, you can taste it with salted kimchi and kkakdugi. There is already a lot of salt in various side dishes. Salt is also found in many factory-made meat products and snacks.
Potassium, which is good for sodium excretion in the body, is found in fresh vegetables, bananas, tomatoes, carrots, legumes, sweet potatoes, potatoes, pumpkins, spinach, mushrooms, lettuce, broccoli, and milk. However, it is safe for people who already have kidney disease to eat vegetables and fruits after consulting with a doctor or nutritionist to prevent hyperkalemia.
◆ blood pressure control? From walking… If you eat salty and exercise, your blood pressure rises.
For hypertension prevention and control, aerobic exercise such as walking, jogging, cycling, swimming, jumping rope, tennis, and dancing is recommended first. Regular aerobic exercise lowers systolic blood pressure by 5 to 7 mmHg and reduces the risk of heart disease by 10 to 30 percent. It is good to exercise more than 5 times a week (90-150 minutes a week) for 30-60 minutes every day.
Exercises that use strength, such as lifting dumbbells and equipment, should be careful if high blood pressure has already come. It is good to first check for chest pain or dizziness and consult with a doctor before starting. Lifting something that is too heavy can temporarily increase your blood pressure. Strength training 2-3 times a week is appropriate. If you consume a lot of salt in your meal, your blood pressure rises, and if you exercise at this time, it can increase instantly. Therefore, it is necessary to properly consume calories and salt to increase the effect of exercise.