DH on meds for HBP

DH went to doc and has sky high blood pressure.
He's only 26!

She has put him on a low prescription diuretic pill to see if that helps.

We have bought a new cookbook to try to lower the sodium in our diet.

Now granted he is a bit overweight but he walks at least a mile every day so he is active.


Anyone have any advice or tips for us?
I will do anything to help him out on this

TIA

Re: DH on meds for HBP

My DH(36) has also been dianosed with HBP. It took them about 3 months to find the right meds. His pressure at the highest was 165/115, now it ranges from 120/80 - 132/90. He goes to the dr. monthly to get checked and we monitor it at home. For his diet we cut back on salt, he drinks caffiene free soda, and the cold cuts he buys are low sodium/heart healthy we also cut back on fast food and processed foods. He is a little over weight, but HBP runs in his family, and his cholesterol and the rest of his blood work, is right where is should be. He is also fairly active, walks the dog 30 minutes 2x a day, and also works in construction, so he is always running around.

Re: DH on meds for HBP

he must cut the salt out of his diet.

that means no processed foods....like canned soups, cold cuts, frozen dinners.

Use Mrs Dash to season your foods...he will never miss the salt.

There are plenty of low/no sodium foods that have a good taste.

If you want to make a soup for him, use the low sodium chicken broth as your base.

My mom has been cooking low sodium for my dad for over 20 years....and I have followed in her foot steps. Let me know if you need any tips.

Re: DH on meds for HBP

Lowering sodium in the diet is a good start. I recommend you go out and buy the Heart Healthy Cookbook - it has hundreds of heart-healthy recipes for just about every taste and tons of great information about eating right for cardiovascular health (as there's so much to it!) Hypertension is NOT something to ignore, so it's good that he's making changes. It's also good it was caught early so he can start making changes earlier!

Also, 1 mile walking a day is not enough exercise if you have heart disease risk factors. 30 mins of physical activity that raises your heart rate per day is the absolute minimum. Plus, it will do WONDERS for his BP!! Power walking will do, but he's got to get his heart rate up and keep going for 30 mins. If he can't go that long to start out, he can start with less time and gradually build up or work at a lower intensity and then build up.

Good luck! I'm sure by catching this early, he'll definitely get it under control before it becomes dangerous!

Re: DH on meds for HBP

Also, remember to always read the nutrition info on the label. When they advertise "lower sodium" that doesn't mean that it's low in sodium. For example, the "lower sodium" or "reduced sodium" canned broths and soy sauces, etc. are still high in sodium. They're just lower than the regular. Every once in a while that's fine, but regularly, that's a lot of sodium. If you're going to cook for him, it's probably best to make your own chicken broth or to use a soup with a non-canned broth base (like a tomato base or something like that...)

It is also a good idea to write down everything he eats and write down the sodium content of everything so he can get an idea of how much sodium he's really taking in everyday. I'm doing that now for my calories and fiber intake and it's helping me a lot to stay on track and see what I'm really doing. When I do it in my head, I always underestimate. LOL

Re: DH on meds for HBP

Thanks for all the advice ladies.

He went back after 2 weeks and diastolic is still high so she upped the prescription.


We have cut out all salt ( though sometimes I forget about processed and frozen foods and I beat myself up after I cook dinner).

The cook book we bought has helped us keep track of what we are eating and I'm hoping that with some more time and exercise in the spring time we will both get it down soon.


Thanks again.

Re: DH on meds for HBP

I agree with all of the diet suggestions, but it could be genetic also. In that case the diet and exercise is great but he would still require medication.

Re: DH on meds for HBP

Re: DH on meds for HBP

Re: DH on meds for HBP

Re: DH on meds for HBP

Message edited 2/25/2008 12:27:24 PM.