How A Diet Change Turned My Life Around

Four years ago, I was one of those people who prioritised work above all else. Nothing mattered to me more than performing my best at work. It didn’t help that I worked in a busy out-patient pharmacy in a large hospital with a heavy workload.

Every day, I had lunch in my hospital’s canteen and the restaurants nearby. When I returned home after work, I would eat take out and go to bed early. I didn’t care what I eat every day as long as it was delicious and comforted my tired soul.

I live in Penang, Malaysia, where it is famous for its affordable and delicious hawkers’ food. A variety of restaurants near my workplace and home, served Malay and Chinese economy rice (a.k.a mixed rice), nasi lemak, nasi kandar, prawn mee, curry mee, char kuey teow, and kuey teow thng. I was spoilt for choice; I didn’t feel the need to cook myself. Eating out and buying take out was so convenient, delicious, and cheap.

One morning, I woke up with chills. My heart was pounding hard and fast and I had a throbbing headache. Sensing something was wrong, I went to see a doctor at my hospital.

My blood pressure was very high, over 200/100 mmHg (normal blood pressure should be < 120/80 mmHg). My doctor started me on a high blood pressure (HBP) medication and put me under observation.

For the next two weeks, I was taking beta-blocker, propranolol, to slow down my heartbeat and had to see the nurse every day to monitor and record my blood pressure.

Thankfully, my blood pressure came down eventually but was in the borderline HBP range (120-139/ 80-89 mmHg) My doctor advised me to change my diet and lifestyle and follow-up with him two weeks later. If my blood pressure was still high, he will start me on medications.

After that incident, I was determined to change my life because I didn’t want to be on lifelong medication. I started researching simple home cooked food that I can cook in large batches in advance to reheat for lunch and dinner.

Inspired by the Japanese way of preparing bento lunch boxes, I bought a thermal food jar with three compartments for me to separate my vegetables, meat, and rice. I would cook large batches and freeze them for later.

After being on this diet combined with brisk walking for 3 hours a week, for two weeks, my blood pressure dropped significantly. To my relief, my doctor told me to continue my diet and lifestyle and there was no need for me to start on HBP medications.

Why did I chose to eat outside and takeaway less? Here are three main reasons:

Salt Intake

Salt plays a role in increasing blood pressure. The recommended intake is less than 5 g of salt or about 1 teaspoon per day. Many food served in restaurants are very high in salt in Malaysia, especially gravies, curries, soups, and sauces.

Address the Oil and Saturated Fats

Many restaurants use low-quality cooking oil to cook. Eating too much can be detrimental to your health. I often buy one deep-fried chicken drumstick with my economy rice and have deep-fried bananas for dessert. I know it’s hard to cut out completely but I try to limit eating fried food to only 2-3 times a month.

Sugar Intake

When eating out, I will eat a generous amount of rice and order a sweet beverage to go along with it. Sugar contributes to weight gain, and weight gain affects blood pressure. According to AHA, it is best to limit sugar intake to 6 teaspoons (25g) for women; 9 teaspoons (36g) for men.

If you are like me who feel stressed most of the time and neglected my health, remember to find time to take a breather, eat healthily and exercise. Never forget we have to stay healthy in the face of adversities in life!

Was there a time in your life where you needed to change your diet or lifestyle drastically? Please leave a comment below, I would love to hear about it!

Other resources:

DASH diet to lower high blood pressure

High Blood Pressure: 3 Foods to Avoid

Eating with High Blood Pressure: Food and Drinks to Avoid

12 Amazing Health Benefits of Home Cooked Meals