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Dr. Andrew Rynne
MD
Dr. Andrew Rynne

Family Physician

Exp 50 years

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Diet For A High Cholesterol And High Blood Pressure Patient

my dad recently found out that he had very high cholesterol and high blood pressure . he started eating healthy for like a week and today he ate popcorn and other random junk food. im so afraid for his health and he s so sensitive when someone points out that he is not eating right...what should i do? i can t make him eat healthy but i fear for his health soooo much. i don t want him to have a heart attack and die.
Thu, 17 Dec 2009
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I largely agree with the advice of all these other answers. I would add that the BP seems to be the biggest issue. Focus on that, and the cholesterol will probably come down as well, just due to some of the dietary improvements. But the big risk reduction for heart disease comes from lowering BP. I think one of the reasons that those with high BP feel somewhat helpless to do anything about it is that they don't have good forms of feedback. See if you can get your father an automated blood pressure cuff so that he can take his BP on a regular basis. They are very reasonable in price ($40-50) and easy to use. That way, he can see what works and what doesn't. Start reading the labels of foods around your house and talk about it with him in a helpful way. Make a game out of reducing sodium intake and try to get him to eat high potassium fruits (bananas, oranges, etc.) A little low-sodium popcorn would probably help, as well.
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Diet For A High Cholesterol And High Blood Pressure Patient

I largely agree with the advice of all these other answers. I would add that the BP seems to be the biggest issue. Focus on that, and the cholesterol will probably come down as well, just due to some of the dietary improvements. But the big risk reduction for heart disease comes from lowering BP. I think one of the reasons that those with high BP feel somewhat helpless to do anything about it is that they don t have good forms of feedback. See if you can get your father an automated blood pressure cuff so that he can take his BP on a regular basis. They are very reasonable in price ($40-50) and easy to use. That way, he can see what works and what doesn t. Start reading the labels of foods around your house and talk about it with him in a helpful way. Make a game out of reducing sodium intake and try to get him to eat high potassium fruits (bananas, oranges, etc.) A little low-sodium popcorn would probably help, as well.