What to eat and what not to eat while struggling with hypertension? It’s a question I often get from patients. Here are 15 easy Indian breakfast ideas which you can make within 5, 10, and 30 minutes perfect for controlling hypertension. But before we start, let’s get some clarity on what is hypertension and prehypertension.
Hypertension is consistently high blood pressure, defined by a systolic blood pressure of 140 mm Hg or higher and diastolic blood pressure of 90 mm Hg or higher. (1)
Pre-hypertension is a systolic blood pressure that is 120 to 139 mm Hg and diastolic blood pressure that is 80 to 89 mm Hg. (2)
Raised blood pressure or Hypertension is the most important risk factor for global morbidity and mortality. (3) It is also the most important cause of disease burden in India. It is estimated that better hypertension control can prevent 400-500,000 premature deaths in India. (4)
Currently, most of us are consuming an excess amount of salt each day than the requirement. The average per-person salt intake is around 9 to 12g per day. Habitual intake of excess salt is the main culprit behind the widespread prevalence of hypertension (high blood pressure).
To prevent and treat hypertension and other cardiac problems, taking a low-sodium diet is essential. Reducing the daily salt intake to not more than 6g (an approximate of 1 teaspoon of salt per day) is effective to reduce the blood pressure. (5)
Note the 10 essential dietary principles to control high blood pressure –
- Reduce your salt intake
- Take more potassium-rich fruits
- Reduce sugar intake
- Take more fiber-rich foods. Take more green leafy vegetables.
- Decrease the intake of saturated fats, instead, take more N-3 fatty acids
- Avoid trans fat intake and high cholesterol foods
- Restrict the intake of red meat and organ meat, instead, take more fish
- Increase the intake of dairy products, especially fermented milk products like yogurt, curds, buttermilk, etc.
- Take more fresh seasonal fruits and vegetables
- Drink skimmed milk or skimmed milk powder instead of whole milk.
Indian tips to start your day with?
Give a healthy start in the morning for better digestion and absorption of meal you will take in the whole day.
- Take a glass of water and boil it with grated ginger. once the water reduces to half, switch off the flame. Let it cool down, then consume it. You can also boil water with cinnamon sticks and consume.
- After half an hour, have a seasonal fruit or handful of overnight soaked nuts like Almonds (6), Pistachios(4), Walnuts (3), and Raisins (4).
- Have a walk or regular workout or yoga for 45 min.
- You can have breakfast between 8-9 A.M
- Have the breakfast peacefully without any screen in front of you.
3 Easy breakfast ideas can be served within 5 minutes
Puffed rice (Muri) with milk and banana
What do you need?
- Puffed rice (Muri): 50g
- milk (200ml)
- banana (1 medium)
- Sugar: ½ teaspoon (3g)
How to make?
Boil the milk, add puffed rice and pieces of banana, and little sugar. Serve hot.
Rice flakes (Chirwa) with curd or yogurt
What do you need?
- Rice flakes: 50g
- Curds (200ml)
- Sugar: ½ teaspoon (3g)
How to make?
- Soak the chirwa (rice flakes) for 10 minutes.
- Drain excess water from chirwa, add curd and sugar. Now your breakfast is ready. Serve it.
Puffed rice with nuts and salad
What do you need?
- Puffed rice (Muri)
- Groundnuts (badam)
- Onion (chopped)
- Tomato (chopped)
- Coriander leaves (chopped)
- Coconut (grated)
How to make ?
- Chop onion, tomato, and green chili into small pieces
- Take puffed rice (muri) in a bowl and add the chopped vegetables, coconut pieces (grated), and groundnut to the muri. Mix all the ingredients. Serve it.
2 Easy breakfast ideas can be served within 10 minutes
Oats milk with Fruits
What do you need?
- Oats: 6 teaspoons (30g)
- Skimmed milk: 200ml
- Seasonal fruits: 100g
How to make?
- Boil milk, add the required amount of oats, cook for 5 minutes.
- When the porridge becomes semi-solid, take it off from the flame, let it be cool.
- Chop the seasonal fruits like mango, apple, pears, grapes, pomegranates, banana, etc. mix well and serve.
Suji Porridge
What do you need ?
- Suji: 30g
- Sugar: 10g
- Milk: 200g
- Cardamom (Elaichi) powder: a pinch
How to make ?
- Dry roast the suji for 2 minutes without adding oil.
- Boil milk, add suji and sugar to it, stir well and cook for 5 minutes.
- When the suji payasam becomes semi-solid, add a pinch of elaichi powder. Switch of the flame, let it be slightly cool.
- Now the suji payes is ready for serve.
5 Easy breakfast ideas can be served within 30 minutes
Roti and Suji Halwa
What do you need for suji halwa?
- Rava or suji: 20g
- Sugar: 10g (2 tsp)
- Cashew nuts: 10g
- Raisins: 10g
- Elaichi powder: a pinch
- Ghee: 5 g (1 tsp)
How to make?
- Knead the atta with water to make a soft dough. Prepare roti out of it.
- Heat a teaspoon of ghee in the non-stick tawa, add suji, fry for 2 minutes with constant stirring, add 2 teaspoons of sugar, and stir.
- Add a cup of water, mix well so that no gruel is there, cook for 5 minutes. Now add raisins and broken cashew to it. Cook for another two minutes. Add a pinch of elachi powder and switch off the gas.
- Serve tawa fresh roti with suji halwa to the family members.
Poha
What do you need?
- Rice flakes (churah): 25g
- Curry pata: 2
- Carrot (finely grated): 1 tablespoon
- Onion (finely chopped): 1 tablespoon
- Coriander leaves (finely chopped): 1 tablespoon
- Green chili: 1 (chopped)
- Groundnuts: 10g
- Mustard seeds: a pinch
- Black sat: a pinch
- Sugar: half teaspoon
- Oil: 1 teaspoon
How to make?
- Soak the rice flakes for 5 minutes.
- Roast groundnuts
- Heat the oil, add curry leaves and mustard seeds, fry for a minute.
- Add the chopped onions and carrots and fry for 3-4 minutes.
- Add soaked rice flakes, and little black salt & sugar, mix well, cover it. Cook for 2 minutes.
- Add grated coconut, roasted groundnuts, and chopped coriander leaves. Cook for a minute. Now your poha is ready for serving.
Upma
What do you need?
- Suji: 30g (2 tablespoons)
- Oil: 2 teaspoons
- Curry leaves: 2 -3
- Mustard seeds: a pinch
- Carrot (finely grated): 1 tablespoon
- Onion (finely chopped): 1 tablespoon
- Ginger (grated)
- Coriander leaves (finely chopped): 1 tablespoon
- Green chilli: 1 (chopped)
- Groundnuts: 10g
- Black sat: a pinch
- Sugar: half teaspoon
- Water: As required
How to make?
- Dry roast groundnuts and suji separately.
- Heat the oil, add curry leave and mustard seeds and chopped green chilies., fry for a minute. Add grated ginger and then chopped carrot and onion to it.
- Now add roasted suji and little salt to the fried vegetable mixture. Mix well. Add warm water to it with constant stirring to prevent the formation of gruel. Add roasted groundnuts and cook for 2-3 minutes. Add fresh coriander leaves (chopped). Now your yummy upma is ready. Serve hot.
- Heat a teaspoon of desi ghee, add 25g of suji, fry for two minutes with constant stirring.
Besan chilla with green chutney
What do you need?
For Chilla
- Chana Besan: 25g
- Onion (finely chopped): 1 tablespoon
- Coriander leaves (finely chopped): 1 tablespoon
- Green chili: 1 (chopped)
- Haldi powder
- Whole cumin seeds
- Black salt
- Oil: 1 teaspoon
For Garlic Mint Chutney
- Garlic: 1 small
- Mint: 1 Cup
- Ginger (grated): ½ inch size
- Black salt:
- Oil: 1 tablespoon
- Green chili: 1
- Lemon juice: 1 teaspoon
- Water: 1 tablespoon
- Sugar: 1 teaspoon
How to make?
- Take besan in a bowl, mix a pinch of salt and turmeric powder and cumin seeds, mix well.
- Add finely chopped onion, mix again. Now add water with stirring, make a semi-solid batter without any gruel.
- Then heat the non-stick pan, brush a teaspoon oil, add a ladder of batter to it, and spread it. Cook the chilla at medium flame. Fry two sides of the chilla. Now your Chilla is ready.
- Now for green chutney, heat a spoon of oil, lightly fry garlic cloves for a minute. Be careful don’t burn the cloves.
- Take mint leaves and garlic cloves in a mixer jar, add grated ginger and green chili, a teaspoon of sugar, and a pinch of black salt with it. Add little water to it. Grind them. Add a teaspoon of lemon juice and 1 cup of curd with it. Mix well. Now preparation of chutney is complete.
- Serve hot besan chilla with chutney to your family members.
Rawa Idli
What do you need?
- Rawa or suji: 50g
- Curd: 25g
- Green chili: 1
- Coriander leaves (finely chopped): 1 tablespoon
- Curry leaves (finely chopped): 2
- Carrot (finely grated): 1 tablespoon
- Mustard seeds: a pinch
- Cumin seeds: a pinch
- Curry leaves: 2 (chopped)
- Green chili: 1 (chopped)
- Ginger: A small piece (finely chopped)
- Asafoetida: a pinch
- Black salt: a pinch
- Oil: 5 teaspoon
How to make?
- Take rawa and curd and mix well. Add water to make a thick batter and mix again. Cover it for 15 minutes.
- Heat the oil in a small bowl, add mustard seeds, cumin seeds, curry leaves, green chili, and ginger (chopped), asafoetida.
- After 15 minutes of resting, add the fried spice mix into the batter, stir for a minute, add grated carrot and chopped coriander leaves to it, mix thoroughly. The batter is now ready.
- Grease an idli maker with little ghee and pour the idli molds to it. Keep it in an idli cooker. Cover it and cook it for 12 to 15 minutes at medium flame.
- After 12 minutes, check the idlis, if they are not sticking to your hand, the idli is perfectly ready, take it away and serve hot with sambar or garlic pudina chutney.
FAQ On Indian Breakfast Ideas for Hypertension
1.Is overnight soaked Oats are good for high blood pressure/ hypertension?
Ans: Yes, A bowl of Overnight Soaked Oats is the most convenient breakfast idea for Hypertensive people. In a bowl take half a cup rolled oats and half a cup of skimmed milk. Stir 1 teaspoon honey and grated almonds on top of it. Keep the bowl in the refrigerator overnight. Before eating for the breakfast sprinkle some cinnamon powder or flaxseed powder. You can also add half banana, Berries, or Apple as per your taste.
2. Is Egg white bad for Hypertension/High blood pressure?
Ans: No, Egg whites are safe for Hypertension/High Blood pressure patients. The Potassium in an egg white may help in maintaining blood pressure. RVPSL peptide present in Egg white blocks Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme (ACE), which is known to raise blood pressure. Include egg white safely in breakfast, but remember in moderation.
3. Is Sandwich unhealthy for Hypertension/High blood pressure?
Ans: It depends on the way you make the Sandwich. If you are making it with Maida bread, Cheddar Cheese, Meat, and Mayonnaise then definitely its an unhealthy breakfast option for high blood pressure. Instead, load the whole wheat or millet bread with vegetables to make Sandwich a healthy breakfast option.
Bottom Line
Hypertension or high blood pressure is a very common health problem in our society. Reducing the salt intake and avoiding excess intake of a high-fat diet, processed foods, etc. are the key to avoid hypertension. Breakfast is a very important meal of the diet. Prepare easy healthy and tasty breakfast at your home within half our and enjoy it. And avoid commercially available breakfast cereals.
