fotorieDiet is one of the most effective levers against hypertension, and it’s not just about removing the salt shaker. The two patterns with the most evidence, the DASH diet and the Mediterranean diet, are very similar: more vegetables, fruits, legumes, skimmed dairy, and fish; less salt, ultra-processed foods, cured meats, and alcohol. Here’s how to apply it with a seven-day menu.
First of all: if you are taking medication for blood pressure, do not change or stop it for a menu. This is a support for treatment, not a substitute, and any adjustments should be decided by your doctor.
The Five Rules
- Salt: less than 5 g per day, which is a level teaspoon, including the salt already present in foods. 70% of the salt we eat comes from bread, cured meats, aged cheeses, canned goods, sauces, and pre-cooked meals, not from the salt shaker.
- Potassium: more. Helps to compensate for sodium. It’s found in bananas, potatoes, legumes, spinach, avocados, tomatoes, and natural nuts. If you have kidney failure or are on certain diuretics, consult before increasing it.
- Skimmed dairy and oily fish. Calcium, magnesium, and omega-3, all three associated with lower blood pressure.
- Alcohol: the less, the better. It directly and proportionally raises blood pressure.
- Weight. Each kilogram lost lowers blood pressure by approximately 1 mmHg. You don’t need to reach your ideal weight to notice it.
Substitutions that Make a Big Difference
| Instead of | Better |
|---|---|
| Cured meats, cold cuts, bacon | Home-roasted chicken or turkey, egg, natural tuna |
| Aged cheese | Fresh cheese, cottage cheese, natural yogurt |
| Industrial bread and cookies | Whole wheat bread with less salt, oats |
| Jarred sauces, bouillon cubes | Homemade sofrito, herbs, lemon, garlic, spices |
| Canned goods in brine | Home-cooked dried legumes or rinsed canned goods |
Example Weekly Menu
Actual dishes from the Fotorie catalog, with no added salt during cooking and seasoned with olive oil, lemon, and spices. Recipe pictures are AI-generated illustrations, not photographs of actual cooked dishes.
| Day | Lunch | Dinner |
|---|---|---|
| Monday | Stewed lentils with vegetables | Hake en papillote with vegetables |
| Tuesday | Grilled chicken breast with rice and broccoli | Zucchini cream soup with turkey cubes |
| Wednesday | Baked salmon with potato and asparagus | Tofu and vegetable stir-fry |
| Thursday | Chickpeas sautéed with spinach and cumin | Salt-baked sea bass with green beans* |
| Friday | Grilled sea bream with Mediterranean salad | Cauliflower crust pizza with vegetables |
| Saturday | Vegetable and chicken paella | Warm prawn and avocado salad |
| Sunday | Sautéed beef with peppers and quinoa | Homemade chicken burger with mushrooms |
*Salt-baked sea bass is cooked inside a crust that is not eaten; the fish absorbs very little salt. Still, if your blood pressure is uncontrolled, change it for oven-baked sea bass with lemon.
Suitable breakfasts: oatmeal porridge with banana and cinnamon, natural Greek yogurt with oats and blueberries, whole wheat toast with tomato and oil, scrambled eggs with spinach. Snacks: fruit, a handful of unsalted almonds, hummus with carrot crudités, cottage cheese.
A Full Day, with Approximate Figures
Breakfast: oatmeal porridge with banana and cinnamon (380 kcal). Mid-morning: natural yogurt with walnuts (240). Lunch: stewed lentils with vegetables (560). Afternoon snack: apple with unsalted peanut butter (220). Dinner: hake en papillote with vegetables (380). Total: approximately 1,780 kcal, rich in potassium and fiber, with less than 3 g of salt if you don’t add any.
How to Know if it Works
The only way is to measure. Take your blood pressure at home, sitting, after five minutes of rest, at the same time, and record the average of two or three readings. What matters is the trend over weeks, just like with weight. Dietary changes take between two and eight weeks to show results.
In Fotorie, you can record each reading by taking a photo of the blood pressure monitor screen: the app reads the values and saves them. The coach sees them, just as they see your medication, and takes them into account when suggesting a dinner or when you tell them you’ve had a glass of wine. They do not diagnose or adjust treatments; they help you stay on track and keep a clean record to show your doctor.
When to See a Doctor
If your blood pressure repeatedly exceeds 140/90 at home, if you have readings above 180/110 at any time, or if you experience severe headache, blurred vision, or chest pain, do not wait for the menu: make an appointment or go to the emergency room.
This article is for guidance only. The menu can be adjusted to your specific case by a registered dietitian-nutritionist; the professionals at Vitasane work daily with hypertensive patients, and that criterion is what the app applies.
