Health
A Food and Wellness Therapist, Mrs Ifeoma Onuoha, says regular intake of good nutrients helps the heart to work efficiently and manage blood pressure.
Onuoha, the C.E.O of MIC Food and Wellness Ltd. spoke with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Friday.
She said that the first and important strategy for effective management of HBP was to lower the sodium intake.
The therapist noted that excess sodium could lead to high retention of fluid in the arterial side of the heart and would affect the pressure in the arterial walls.
She advised that increasing intake of foods rich in potassium, magnesium, and calcium helped arteries, nerves, muscles and the heart to function well.
“Potassium helps to relax the arterial walls, for flexibility so that the heart can carry nutrients, oxygen, and blood to the various parts of the body”.
“Magnesium helps to regulate the nerves and muscle walls of the arteries. When foods from natural sources are taken, the body assimilates them easily without putting pressure on the liver”.
“When we step up in taking food rich in calcium, it assists the heart to relax the blood vessels around it”, she said.
She mentioned some of the macro minerals capable of regulating the blood pressure as follow: banana, sweet potatoes, betroots, hibiscus flower (zobo) , almond seeds, pumpkin seeds, spinach Greek yogurt, among others.
Onuoha recommended a healthy diet, based on vegetables, fruits, whole grains, lean protein for the management of hypertension.
She encouraged those living with hypertension to stay away from processed foods because they contained salt as an enhancer and also quit taking alcohol as it had no nutritional value.
She pleaded that people should pay attention to their body, to identify symptoms that needed to be addressed, to avoid unnecessary break down.(NAN)
Tags: Blood Pressure nutrition