Diet for Pregnant Women with High Blood Pressure

Keeping your blood pressure at a normal level during pregnancy, will definitely keep you and your baby healthy. Some of the common symptoms of high blood pressure in pregnancy include severe nausea or vomiting, dizziness, blood in urine, weak urination, abnormal reflexes, acute headaches, abdominal pain, abrupt weight gain and swelling of the hands, feet and face.

Women have been advised to make a range of changes to their diet and lifestyle. It is necessary to maintain a healthy body weight throughout pregnancy. To achieve this, it is also necessary to go for healthy diet and light exercise (example like walking).

Drink plenty of water 

You should drink eight glasses of water or more a day. This sufficient water will lower the pressure of your blood in your vessels, clean your kidneys which all of affects maintaining stable blood pressure.

Limit caffeine intake

Avoid caffeine in your diet, especially if you have high blood pressure during pregnancy.

Unsaturated fatty acids intake:

Fish and other sources of unsaturated fatty acids, which is presented in some oils as marine oil, are a rich source of polyunsaturated fatty acids. These fatty acids have hypotensive effects and, thus, are thought to play a protective role in women at risk of preeclampsia and/or premature labor.

Vegetables and fiber rich food

Vegetables is an essential constituent of healthy diet. Vegetables contains a lot of important vitamins like vitamin k and vitamin C. You should eat different type of vegetables on daily basis. Leafy greens and organic vegetables like spinach, broccoli, cabbage, eggplant, garlic, lettuce, melons and peas are excellent choices, especially that they also are high potassium containing food, which is really helpful in reducing your high blood pressure.

Fresh Fruit

Eating fruits is great for reducing blood pressure during pregnancy especially apples, melon, kiwi, mandarin and other citrus type of fruits. Include fresh juices in your diet (green smoothies are more than great for hypertension)

Sodium restriction

Sodium restriction should be encouraged in pregnant women.Sodium intake could be limited by choosing low-sodium foods products, also adding little or no salt to your food. Sodium is a blood pressure enemy, sodium is known to worsen high blood pressure by impacting fluid retention. Keep your blood pressure low also by not eating fried food.

Chocolate

In small amounts, chocolates are full of magnesium.Dark chocolate is the only chocolate that has the ability to show an effect on blood pressure. The small amount prescribed which is two bites daily equivalent to only 30 calories, while providing health benefits such as lowering blood pressure, they also show limited weight gain.

Magnesium containing food

Magnesium rich foods that lower blood pressure are plain sunflower seeds, spinach and dried beans such as kidney beans, these foods are also high in potassium.

Potassium containing food

Potassium is another source to add to your diet among several foods that lower blood pressure.  Increase your body’s store of potassium by eating baked potatoes, Spanish, fish and bananas. Potassium helps the body to get rid of sodium.  Doctors warn that potassium intake should only be limited as part of these foods and not in supplement form, as too much potassium can cause life threatening effects.

To sum it up

Hypertensive disorders remain the leading cause of mortality in pregnancy, therefore when diagnosed with high blood pressure especially during pregnancy, every measure should be taken to control and improve your overall well-being and thereby your child’s health.  Losing weight, quitting smoking, exercising and consuming a healthy diet consisting of foods that lower blood pressure are all steps to take to improve your condition.