‘The office gives me high BP'

I'm 42 and slightly overweight. I had swelling in my ankles. The doctor said it was due to high blood pressure. He prescribed medicines for 4 days and told me to go on a salt-free diet. Since then, the swelling has subsided though it occasionally returns — especially in the evenings on workdays. The ankles and feet are perfectly normal on weekends. It's worrying. What should I do to maintain a healthy blood pressure?

Anjani M.

There's nothing to worry about. My reading is that you are clearly salt-sensitive. So, please avoid all packaged, processed foods as they contain salt as a preservative — these include papad s, pickles, biscuits, fries and beverages. Drink 1-2 litres of water to flush out the salt.

Your feet seem to swell up on weekdays when you are probably deskbound. Please move around frequently — stand up while speaking on the phone, walk to your colleague's table instead of using the intercom. If you have your own cabin, sit with your feet placed on a high footstool. I presume you're more active on weekends, which is why your feet remain normal. Let's take this cue from your body:

Become more active. With your doctor's permission, be very active all 7 days. Walk or cycle for 15-30 minutes in the morning, noon, evening. This keeps the blood circulating sweetly and consistently and is the best healing gift you can present to your body. Tip: If you want to watch TV, do stationary cycling as you watch. Reason: Exercise opens up the blood vessels and thus lowers the blood pressure. It's true that blood pressure rises during exercise, but it drops when the exercise ends. And when it rises again under normal circumstances, it doesn't go as high as it did earlier.

Nibble natural foods. It's easy to decrease salt and increase potassium effortlessly when you eat-drink natural foods and beverages — fresh fruits, fresh fish, raw vegetables, coconut water. Tip: Potatoes and bananas can be added when you've lost sufficient weight. Reason: When the body doesn't have to overwork to digest food, both the systolic and diastolic pressures reduce by 10-15 millimetres of mercury (mm Hg).

Be carefree. Medical monitoring threw up important pointers: The happier a person, the more the systolic pressure dropped; the more anxious the person, the more the diastolic pressure rose. So, please take things easy. Let go the feeling (which is an inner kind of pressure) that certain things are important — they usually aren't. Tips: Don't be over-anxious to please. Eschew violence and sob-stuff on TV. Instead, sing with the music channels or laugh with the sitcoms. Reason: Violence and drama increases emotional intensity. Song and laughter relax and release emotions and bring about a broader, happier and more balanced perspective.

Finally, monitor your blood pressure at home. This ensures you remain on course with your exercise, diet and medications.

When I'm hungry between meals, despite eating cucumber, carrots, tomatoes, I have to eat something more like wafers or sev to feel satisfied. Due to this, I'm unable to lose weight. Please advise.

Aletta P.

If you've grown up on dry snacks like most of us have, it is habit, rather than hunger, that's ruling your satiation level. To prepare low-fat, dry snacks, cut a variety of vegetables and fruits like potato, yam, capsicum, cauliflower, broccoli, pineapple, apple. Sprinkle chaat masala powder on them. Now, bake/grill them in the oven until they become dry and crisp. These make excellent snacks. Roasted channa , roasted soya seeds, oil-free popcorn, sprouted moong are satisfying snacks too. It would also greatly help if you prevented yourself from becoming hungry. To achieve this, keep drinking 1-2 glasses of water at a time throughout the day. Or sip a mug of hot water every other hour.

Finally, don't get too fixated on foods. Think in terms of fulfilling yourself than filling yourself. Call a friend and have a long, affectionate chat. Spend time and brain-power on solving a challenging crossword puzzle. Have a long singing session sans snacks at the end. Contentment is the greatest appetite shrinker.

I've been diagnosed with diabetes. I've been told that breakfast is a must for my condition. I'm a die-hard coffee-drinker and can't imagine eating anything in the morning. What should I do?

Dinkar N.

Change your thinking! It's not wise to have a long gap between dinner at night and a meal the next day as this can cause a sudden fall in blood sugar levels which translates into tiredness, low energy, glumness or even dizziness.

I don't want to psyche you by enumerating symptoms that you may not have, but why not take just this one painless, preventive measure today to have a healthier tomorrow?

Start with a small portion of a high-fibre cereal like jowar . Cook it, then heat it with milk to make a porridge. It makes a splendid breakfast and tastes pretty good too. The fibre lowers your system's insulin resistance and balances the blood sugar. Give it a shot. You've got nothing to lose and everything to gain.

The writer is co-author of the book ‘Fitness for Life'.

Queries may be sent to life@thehindu.co.in

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