Garlic is a common ingredient in daily life, often used as a condiment. It contains allicin, which has anti-inflammatory and antibacterial effects, effectively inhibiting a variety of bacteria. It can also improve immune function and protect cardiovascular health. However, some people believe that patients with hypertension should not eat garlic as it may worsen hypertension. Is this really the case?
01
Why Do Young People Get Hypertension?
Genetic Factors: Hypertension tends to run in families. If there is a family history of hypertension, the risk of young people developing hypertension increases accordingly.
Lifestyle Changes: Modern young people have a fast-paced lifestyle, irregular schedules, often stay up late, and have poor rest habits, all of which increase the risk of hypertension.
Increased Stress: Economic, social, or family pressures can keep young people in a high-pressure state for a long time, leading to anxiety, depression, and eventually triggering hypertension.
Unhealthy Habits: Smoking, drinking, overeating, lack of exercise, all these habits can damage blood vessels, leading to increased blood pressure. Particularly, diets high in salt, fat, and sugar can enlarge blood vessel capacity, exceed weight limits, and increase the risk of disease.
Obesity: With the improvement of living standards, obesity among young people is becoming increasingly serious. Obesity is a significant risk factor for hypertension; the heavier the weight, the higher the likelihood of elevated blood pressure.
Lack of Health Awareness: Compared to the elderly, young people have inadequate knowledge of hypertension. Many may not even be aware that their blood pressure is high. By the time symptoms manifest, the optimal treatment window may have been missed.
Secondary Hypertension: Some young people may have secondary hypertension caused by other diseases such as kidney disease, renal vascular disease, or adrenal disease.
02
Hypertension – Can You Eat Garlic?
Whether individuals with hypertension can eat garlic depends on their specific circumstances. Generally, patients with hypertension can consume garlic.
Garlic is rich in vitamins, trace elements, and other nutrients, with properties such as antibacterial, detoxifying, wound healing, blood sugar reduction, weight loss, anticancer, and prevention of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases.
In terms of preventing cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, oral intake of garlic can dilate blood vessels, reduce blood pressure, decrease blood lipids, and prevent atherosclerosis. Therefore, garlic is beneficial for patients with hypertension.
However, it’s important to note that if a patient also has symptoms such as liver disease, eye disease, spleen deficiency, or diarrhea, they may need to avoid consuming garlic as it could exacerbate these conditions.
Moreover, garlic is pungent and should not be overeaten, especially for patients with gastrointestinal conditions. It’s not recommended for gastric ulcer patients to consume raw garlic.
Overall, hypertensive patients can moderately consume garlic in their daily diet but should be mindful of the intake amount and assess suitability based on individual conditions.
03
Doctors Reveal: To Stabilize Blood Pressure, Avoid These 4 Types of Vegetarian Foods
1. Pickled Vegetables: Pickled radish, pickled cucumber, Kimchi, etc. Pickling vegetables involves adding a large amount of edible salt and seasonings during the process, resulting in high sodium ion content.
Excessive intake of sodium ions over a long period can affect the stability of blood vessels, impacting blood pressure levels and may even lead to sodium-water retention issues.
2. Caffeine-Rich Vegetarian Foods: Caffeine is a stimulant that can excite the central nervous system, causing excitement, anxiety, and other discomfort.
For hypertensive patients, frequent consumption of caffeine-rich vegetarian foods may disrupt the body’s sodium balance, leading to acid-base balance disorders, rapid elevation of blood pressure.
3. Some High-Sodium Vegetables: Such as Chinese toon, dried bean sticks, etc. Chinese toon contains abundant potassium and certain sodium elements, prolonged consumption can induce hypertension. While dried bean sticks made from soybeans have high protein content, they also contain high carbohydrates and sodium levels, not suitable for hypertensive patients.
4. Nuts: Peanuts, sunflower seeds, walnuts, etc. Although nuts are rich in high-quality proteins, plant-based dietary fiber, and vitamins, beneficial for energy supplementation, hypertensive patients should control their intake to prevent excessive deposition of fatty components on blood vessels’ surface, affecting recovery.
It’s important to note that the aforementioned vegetarian foods are not entirely prohibited for consumption, but hypertensive patients should minimize intake or avoid them to maintain stable blood pressure.
04
To Stabilize Blood Pressure, Remember These 7 Points
1. Balanced Diet: Emphasize a light diet with less oil, salt, and sugar. Increase intake of mineral-rich foods containing potassium and calcium, like celery, spinach, black fungus, etc.
Restrict total calorie intake and avoid excess weight. Specifically, steer clear of high-salt, high-fat, high-sugar foods such as pickled vegetables, fried foods, desserts, as they may have adverse effects on blood pressure.
2. Regular Sleep Patterns: Ensure an adequate sleep duration, with 7-9 hours of sleep each day, avoiding staying up late and excessive fatigue. Maintaining a regular sleep schedule helps maintain the body’s biological clock, contributing to stable blood pressure.
3. Proper Exercise: Moderate physical exercises can lower blood pressure to a certain extent. However, monitor and control the duration and intensity of exercise to prevent elevated blood pressure due to excessive physical activity. It is recommended to engage in at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise per week, such as brisk walking, jogging, swimming, etc.
4. Maintain a Positive Mood: Stay cheerful, composed during adversity. Negative emotions can significantly affect blood pressure, hence maintaining an optimistic attitude and stable emotions contributes to stable blood pressure. Relaxation techniques such as listening to music, reading, or meditation can help alleviate stress.
5. Quit Smoking and Limit Alcohol Consumption: Prolonged smoking and excessive alcohol consumption pose significant risks to cardiovascular health. Therefore, quitting smoking and limiting alcohol intake is essential. Both smoking and alcohol consumption can lead to increased blood pressure and raise the risk of cardiovascular diseases.
6. Regular Blood Pressure Monitoring: Monitor blood pressure in a quiet state both in the morning and evening, observing fluctuations over a period. This helps detect blood pressure abnormalities promptly and take appropriate measures.
7. Follow Medical Advice on Medication: If lifestyle adjustments fail to adequately control blood pressure, the use of antihypertensive medications may be necessary. Hypertensive patients should adhere to prescribed medication schedules, avoid discontinuing medications or altering dosages without medical advice.
