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Chronic Hypertension Diet in Pregnancy

Even if you suffer from chronic hypertension, it is possible to have a healthy pregnancy. Along with carefully monitoring your blood pressure, consider making changes to your diet and adding supplements to help control your blood pressure. Add whole foods such as fruits, vegetables and beans and supplements like calcium to help lower blood pressure during pregnancy.

  1. Diet and Hypertension

    • If you struggle with hypertension during your pregnancy, changes to your diet can make a difference. "The Doctors' Book of Home Remedies for Women" suggests bulking up on fruits, vegetables, beans and potatoes. These foods contain potassium, which help to lower blood pressure. Aim for 2,000 to 4,000 milligrams of potassium a day.

      Make sure to drink enough water. Pregnant women struggling with hypertension should drink as much as a gallon a day.

      Consider following the Brewer's Diet, which focuses on adding protein to your diet to help reduce hypertension and other pregnancy related problems. Green, leafy vegetables add needed calcium and whole grains---not refined or processed flours---will help to reduce your blood pressure.

      Use butter, not margarine. Eat a yellow vegetable, such as a yam or carrots, five times a week, and a baked potato twice a week.

    Supplements and Hypertension

    • Add calcium to your diet to lower blood pressure during pregnancy. A 2000 study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition suggests that calcium may be an important factor in preventing and treating pregnancy-induced hypertension. Though it's not certain how the calcium affects hypertension, high-risk groups of women many benefit from the supplement. "The Doctors' Book of Home Remedies for Women" recommends adding 1,200 to 1,500 milligrams of calcium to your diet.

      Add cod liver oil to your diet, as its omega-3 fats can help to regulate your blood pressure and reduce your risk for pre-eclampsia. Also, 2 to 4 tbsp. of chlorophyll liquid a day can help the liver and increase iron levels and blood flow.

      Take at least 2,000 milligrams of Vitamin C daily.

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