Serious issue: TAKE HEART

 About 57 million Nigerians are hypertensive, experts say. According to a report by Dr Ikechukwu and others in the world journal of cardiology (2012), the prevalence of the condition in both men and women ranges from 8% - 46% of our adult population. Statistics are just numbers! Raise your hands if you have parents who are currently on blood pressure lowering drugs. the problem now however is that people seem to be taking their drugs( hypothetically speaking) and are still landing in the ERs due to complications of hypertension such as stroke, cardiac failure or ischemic heart disease. What then are the problems and how can we fix them. 

Bad lifestyle choices (high sodium diets, high cholesterol diets and lack of exercise): it’s not easy to switch to “bland’’ meals after decades of enjoying the taste enhancing power of table salt. However I think this is an easy sacrifice to make considering the otherwise consequence of pain, hospitals bills, or worse, death. The daily requirement for sodium in adult individuals is contained in one teaspoon of salt. While I quite agree that it is impossible not to exceed such values daily, one must be conscious not to add salt to most meals or while eating at the table.

Also, choose healthier meals. Stay away from foods that are brimming with saturated fats. People of my tribe sure do like a lot of beef; eating three or four lumps with every meal (and one more, every time they pass by their refrigerators). Swap beef for skinless chicken or turkey. Fish is also good (skin peeled off; even better). It is important however to understand the place of portion and calories when choosing these “good” protein sources: just because fish is healthy doesn’t mean you should eat large quantities of it. Once you consume more calories than your bodies can burn off, you would gain weight and obesity is another bad news for hypertensive people.

Here’s a table of good and bad food choices based on whether they increase good or bad cholesterol. the Bad cholesterol guys narrow blood vessels that supply the heart while the Good cholesterol guys are like the cops, they arrest the bad guys. 

  

BAD CHOLESTEROL GUYS	GOOD CHOLESTEROL SOURCES
EGG YOLK	HARD BOILED EGG WHITE
RED MEAT	SKINLESS CHICKEN
BUTTER	OLIVE OIL, SUNFLOWER OIL, COTTON SEED OIL
MAYONAISE, SALAD CREAM	LIGHT DRESSINGS SOLD IN MARTS
LIVER	BOILED, GRILLED TUNA, MARKARELS ETC
SAUSAGES, HOT DOGS
OIL PACKED FISH
CAKE, COOKIES. PASTRIES. ICE CREAM
PORK
PAN FRIED FOOD

Is your daily diet clogging up your arteries with cholesterol? Try any of these remedies. Have one portion of fruits and vegetables daily. I mean veggies like Lettuce, Cabbage and not Efo Riro stir fired with kpomo and Shaki. These veggies, besides assisting in weight loss, help lower bad cholesterol. Reach for other high fibre meals as well: beans, oats and others. Not still satisfied, visit your local pharmacy to talk to your pharmacist about getting your cholesterol levels checked.

As far as exercise is concerned, light to moderate aerobic exercises would suffice. We all know walking is good right? Anyway, I must emphasize the need for consistency beyond intensity. Research as shown that moderate paced walk done thrice a week is far more beneficial than a vigorous walk done once a week. 

to be continued.....................

photo: rodale.com