By Judy Davie
**”I desperately need to lose weight. I was put on high blood pressure tablets five months ago and I have put on 10kgs. My height is 168cm and I weigh 80kgs. I am a very plain eater and do not like anything spicy. Please help!”
— Jane**
While high blood pressure may be hereditary, a symptom of a poor diet, or a combination of both, adopting a healthy diet is absolutely the right place to start treating the problem.
Whether we eat for good health or weight loss, what we eat should be the same. It’s the quantities that differ.
Many people who claim to be plain eaters don’t realise how much they rely on flavour from fat, salt and sugar, the very foods known to increase the risk of high blood pressure and atherosclerosis. Mashed potatoes made with butter, salt and milk, crumbed and fried cutlets, roast root vegetables, sweet and savoury pies with cream and ice cream are all considered plain food yet are mostly high in saturated fat, salt and/or sugar. You don’t have to eat spicy food to eat healthily but you will need to modify your range of cooking ingredients to find flavour without the saturated fat and salt.
Many of us are under the impression that all spices are hot, but it’s simply not the case. Many spices such as cinnamon, nutmeg, all spice, turmeric and cardamom, are partially sweet, impart flavour without heat and even have specific healing properties. Some herbs and spices are known to target a reduction in blood pressure. They include all spice, holy basil, ginger, dill, green tea, rosemary, stevia and valerian.
The biggest hurdle you face is your own thoughts and beliefs — if you believe you won’t like a change in diet, you won’t. It’s that simple. My advice is to keep an open mind, accept that you have to make these changes and embrace the first-time culinary experiences. Imagine how fabulous it would be if you not only lost weight but enjoyed the foods you were eating at the same time. It’s only achievable if you believe it.
Any deep fried food — home made or commercial Lard, butter or margarine made with hydrolysed fats Chicken skin, pork crackling, meat fat Meat pies, sausage rolls Full fat dairy, including milk, cheese and yoghurt
What to eat
Olive oil, avocado oil, camellia tea oil, canola oil, sesame oil Home made roast veggies made with a spray of oil Raw nuts Sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, flaxseeds Avocado
Flavoured chips, salted nuts and other salted flavoured biscuits Packaged foods with a high salt content. Salt is found in other food additives including hydrolysed vegetable protein, yeast extract, monosodium glutamate (620). Always check the nutritional panel and select products with a sodium content less than 120mg per 100g.
What to eat
Reduced salt products including soy, tamari, tomato sauce, tomato paste Raw nuts Plain wholegrain biscuits
Related stories
Native ad body.
Native ad body.
Native ad body.
