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T
tennae Asked March 2016

What are some foods that could lower her hypertension and some recreational activities for her to get involved in?

My mother is almost 60 and is diagnosed with hypertention. 

97yroldmom Mar 2016
Hypertension is the number one risk factor for death in the world. A low- sodium diet centered around whole plant foods is the best way to bring down bp. Ground Flaxseed, lots of veggies and fruit, especially raw green veggies as in a big salad really helps. Stay away from processed foods which are full of salt. Read labels even if the front of the carton says low sodium or no salt added, be sure to check and compare. Whole grains, not refined grains will help lower bp. If you can persuade your mom to take a 30 min walk everyday she will soon feel better. Hypertension is very serious but can be considered a choice as it is caused by food choices and life style. Processed meat is really bad ( bacon, bologna, ham, and hot dogs). Even raw meat and chicken has added salt which makes it hold water and weigh more. Fruit, Nuts and seeds are helpful. The good thing about cutting out salt is that after a few weeks your taste adjusts. In fact food starts to taste better. It's very hard to control the sodium intake if you eat fast food or processed foods and it contaminates the palate. So good that you are helping your mom with this. It can be overwhelming learning to make better choices and to have healthy foods available. She'll be surprised at how much control she actually has when she begins to take charge of her health and how quickly the numbers will drop.

GardenArtist Mar 2016
There's some information about this on WebMD, on the Mayo Clinic website, and other health websites.

Packaged, processed foods, frozen meals, high sale meals are types of food to avoid.

You can get a lot of information and find a lot of sites if you google "hypertension diet".

There really are so many it's hard to list them here.

Assuming that your mother is a healthy 60 year old, she can start a walking program. It's the easiest exercise to do - free and doesn't require machines.

Other activities are those that are relaxing, soothing, inspiring, and social. Listening to music or working out to music, reading, volunteering, petting animals, gardening....these are among relaxing activities.

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