Should patients with hypertension eat meat? Authoritative experts give the most professional answers

As we all know, the control of diet by patients with hypertension directly affects the development and trend of the disease. Among them, what patients with hypertension are most concerned about is whether they should eat meat.

Many people's first reaction to this question is to shake their heads. Because many patients with hypertension like to eat meat before they become ill. This clearly shows that eating meat has a negative impact on blood pressure. But today, we want to help you correct this understanding.

A research institute once conducted a large-sample survey on fishermen in coastal areas and found that although there are negative factors such as long-term mental stress, irregular sleep time, high salt intake, and low vegetable intake, the incidence of hypertension among fishermen is relatively low. Later studies suggested that this might be related to the fact that fishermen's long-term consumption of marine fish resulted in a higher intake of high-quality protein and unsaturated fatty acids.

Based on this hypothesis, the medical community has re-examined the relationship between protein and blood pressure. The results showed that high-quality protein can stabilize our blood pressure even when people consume high salt. The mechanism here may be related to promoting sodium excretion, or it may be related to the influence of amino acids on neurotransmitters and sympathetic nerves. In short, high-quality protein has a stabilizing effect on blood pressure.

However, even high-quality protein can easily produce substances such as phenylethylamine when it is decomposed. This type of substance will have a blood pressure-raising effect when the kidney function is poor. In addition, protein can be converted into sugar and fat, affecting blood pressure from another perspective.

After learning so much, the question of how patients with hypertension eat meat has become clear -

1. For patients with hypertension, if their kidney function is normal, there is no problem in eating meat three times a week. The standard intake is about 1 gram per kilogram of body weight. If kidney function is impaired, it is a different matter.

2. For patients with hypertension, the preferred order of eating meat should be marine fish - general fish - poultry - red lean meat. Although there is a focus, we should try to eat a variety of meat foods in rotation over a period of time to ensure balanced nutrition. Patients with hypertension should not eat fatty meat or chicken skin under any circumstances.

3. If you eat meat for this meal, eat less sugar accordingly, and be sure to use vegetable oil when cooking.

4. Don’t drink alcohol after eating meat, and try to drink less strong tea and coffee.

5. While eating meat, you can eat more foods high in potassium and calcium, such as potatoes, taro, eggplant, kelp, lettuce, winter melon, etc. Milk, yogurt, sesame paste, dried shrimps, green vegetables, etc. have good cardiovascular protective effects and can be eaten in moderation. Foods containing magnesium, such as green leafy vegetables, millet, buckwheat noodles, beans, etc., can achieve the purpose of lowering blood pressure by dilating blood vessels, so you can eat more of them in moderation.