How to relieve high pressure with your diet
Gestational hypertension is high blood pressure that first appears after 20 weeks of pregnancy. Usually after your baby is born this kind of hypertension will pass. However, gestational hypertension can cause serious complications during pregnancy and, secondly, it increases the risk of developing hypertension in the future [1].
High blood pressure (especially in combination with risk factors such as diabetes and a BMI> 30) poses a risk of preeclampsia and premature birth. However, a proper diet and exercise can reduce risks [2].
American Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend a DASH diet for pregnant women, which has proven to be effective in reducing blood pressure [3]. But European studies show that it’s very effective against gestational hypertension [4]. High blood pressure during pregnancy is caused by many factors, and not everything depends on your good eating habits.
Therefore, researchers are now trying to identify the factors that most directly affect gestational hypertension. For example, it was found that high blood pressure in expectant mothers in most cases is associated with a lack of calcium, vitamin D, magnesium and zinc [5]. Accordingly, if products containing these trace elements are constantly present in your diet, then you can provide yourself with an additional level of protection. Remember, the necessary nutrients are contained in:
milk and fermented milk products;
fish;
nuts and seeds;
legumes.
In addition, the amount of fat (especially animal fat) must be reduced, and exercise must be increased [3, 5]. This DASH rule also works for pregnant women.
