Hypertension Diet?

[JTA Mom]

x-posted in Nutrition and Good eating

My mom has had issues with hypertension for a while. This past week, we forced her to go to the hospital after she became dizzy, nauseous, and couldn't keep anything down. Her bp was 160/105. It was scary.

She does not have insurance. She also has not made any dietary changes before. All the doctor told her to do was cut out salt.

I know MDC has incredibly smart members who know more than most doctors, and could help me with this issue. My mom is ready for a change. Since then, she has cut out caffeine and salt, completely. She is also monitoring her blood pressure.

The question is, what is a good diet for hypertension? "Diet" in this case being a new way of eating.

I know dandelion root is awesome (helped me with my pregnancy-induced hypertension), so I will be getting some of that for her.

Is there anything she should avoid? Anything that should be an important part of her diet? Food/supplements/exercises recommendations all appreciated!

Thanks!

Ami

[tankgirl73]

Did they say the blood pressure caused the nausea?  I wouldn't think BP at that level would cause stomach problems.  When mine is up that high, I can usually tell, from a funny feeling in my head.  But that's it, no other physical symptoms... HBP is considered a "silent" disease because so often, there are no real symptoms.

Maybe it does present as nausea with some folks.  But 160/105, while high, isn't in the EXTREME high zone yet... high enough that it should be brought down, for sure, but not so high that it's an immediate danger.  So it shouldn't be "scary", though it's certainly "worrying."  I would just want to make sure that there wasn't something else going on that was causing the nausea, and was just overlooked because everyone was focussing on the blood pressure.

As for diet... I don't have good answers.  My hypertension is "genetic", which means no lifestyle or diet changes are going to do more than a tiny bit of good for me.  I cut out most salt from my diet at least a decade ago, when my BP was still very healthy.  What salt I do use is natural sea salt.  

How is your mom's weight?  If she is overweight, then ANY diet that helps get the weight off will at least be a step in the right direction.  Is she on any medication for the blood pressure?

[JTA Mom]

Originally Posted by tankgirl73 

Did they say the blood pressure caused the nausea?

Maybe it does present as nausea with some folks.  But 160/105, while high, isn't in the EXTREME high zone yet... high enough that it should be brought down, for sure, but not so high that it's an immediate danger.  So it shouldn't be "scary", though it's certainly "worrying."

As for diet... I don't have good answers.  My hypertension is "genetic", which means no lifestyle or diet changes are going to do more than a tiny bit of good for me.  I cut out most salt from my diet at least a decade ago, when my BP was still very healthy.  What salt I do use is natural sea salt.  

How is your mom's weight?  If she is overweight, then ANY diet that helps get the weight off will at least be a step in the right direction.  Is she on any medication for the blood pressure?

She didn't eat or drink well that day, so she also had a migraine. But I've never seen her migraines get that bad before.

The second part is comforting. My sister is a nurse and she freaked, which has all of the rest of us freak. As for genetics, there is stroke in my family, so perhaps a genetic link. She hasn't tried modifying her diet though. Not on any meds. The ER doc said to cut out salt/caffeine for a month & come back if it doesn't drop.

She is overweight--at least by 50lbs. Will losing this weight have a big impact?

With her bp, can she exercise at all? Or only short walks?

Ami