Have you been diagnosed with high blood pressure (hypertension)? Looking for a sample meal plan to follow… one that you can follow right now?
Day #1
Breakfast: A bowl of oats with milk + 1 banana.
Lunch: Simple Summer Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette
Dinner: Apple Pecan Chicken. Less the bacon.
Snacks (can have more than once): A handful of plain cashews or roasted almonds. High in protein, fibre and magnesium, studies show the addition of nuts to the diet does not cause weight gain.
Day #2
Breakfast: Healthy Chocolate Peanut Butter and Banana Smoothie Bowl
Lunch: Canned tuna (in oil or water) + salad
Dinner: Roasted Salmon and Asparagus
Snacks: 1 cup of carrot and cucumber sticks + ricotta cheese (not cottage cheese) or hummus. Try this Homemade Hummus.
Day #3
Breakfast: Grapefruit Green Smoothie. If you have a blender then smoothies are a quick and delicious breakfast.
Lunch: Quinoa Salad with Nuts. Quinoa is a versatile grain that is naturally gluten-free and high protein. This recipe has many tasty alternatives depending on what vegetables and nuts you have leftover.
Dinner: Healthy Chipotle Chicken Sweet Potato Skins. Sweet potato is just one of my all time favourite foods. Recommend using Swiss or mozzarella cheese, or a low-sodium cheddar.
Snacks: 5-7 oz (150-200 grams) plain Greek yoghurt + 1 small banana
Day #4
Breakfast: Apple Walnut Quinoa
Lunch: Pumpkin Soup Like You’ve Never Tasted Before. I’m a big fan of soups, especially in colder months. They tend to be lower-calorie than regular meals, rich in vegetables, and can keep you full for longer.
Dinner: Green Lentil and Walnut Bolognese served with pasta.
Snacks: A handful of plain cashews or roasted almonds.
Day #5
reakfast: Chocolate Peanut Butter Smoothie. All-natural peanut butter (usually at least 95% peanuts) is the healthiest choice, but it’s thick!
Lunch: Roasted Sweet Potato Salad
Dinner: Choose your favourite / leftovers / eating out
Snacks: 1 banana.
Day #6
Breakfast: Choose your favourite
Lunch: Fresh Spring (Rice-Paper) Rolls. Perfect for using leftover veggies. Select a maximum of 3 veggies, and add a protein food if you like.
Dinner: Grilled Spicy Honey Lime Chicken Kebabs
Snacks: Pan-fried Za’atar Popcorn or Healthy Microwave Popcorn
Day #7
Breakfast: Creamy Coconut Milk Quinoa Pudding. Swap maple syrup for honey if you don’t have it.
Lunch: Choose your favourite / leftovers / eating out
Dinner: Bibimbap Nourishing Bowl. Bibimbap literally means “mixed rice” in Korean, and is a signature dish packed with veggies, a protein source and topped with a sunny side up egg. Add in any other leftover vegetables or meat you have, and feel free to sub in white rice for brown.
Snacks: 5-Ingredient Sweet Potato Chips. I recommend soaking the potato for 1 hour beforehand to remove some starch, so they will bake crispy.
