Low-salt meals for high blood pressure in Lagos
Salt is one of the biggest dietary drivers of high blood pressure, and Nigerian cooking leans heavily on stock cubes, seasoning and salted fish. Our heart friendly plates get their flavour from pepper, herbs and spice instead.
Plates for high blood pressure this week
Calories, protein, carbs and fat per plate, worked out by our dietitians.
Why food matters for high blood pressure
- Too much sodium makes the body hold on to water, which raises blood pressure. Most of it comes from seasoning cubes and processed food, not the salt shaker.
- Eating more vegetables, beans and fruit, and less salt, is one of the most studied ways to lower blood pressure through food.
- Losing extra weight brings blood pressure down too, so calorie-counted plates help on two fronts.
What we do on the plate
Fewer stock cubes
We build flavour with fresh pepper, onions, ginger, garlic, scent leaf and spice instead of relying on cubes.
Lots of vegetables
Generous greens and vegetables on every plate.
Lean protein
Fish, chicken and beans more often than processed or heavily salted meat.
Calories on the card
So weight can come down alongside the salt.
Nigerian food swaps for high blood pressure
Small changes to the food you already eat. Our plates are built this way already.
| Instead of | Try | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Two or three seasoning cubes in a pot | One cube or none, with more fresh pepper, onion, ginger and herbsCubes are among the biggest sources of salt in Nigerian kitchens | Cubes are among the biggest sources of salt in Nigerian kitchens |
| Salted dried fish and stockfish in everything | Fresh fish, or soak dried fish well before cookingCuts a lot of hidden salt | Cuts a lot of hidden salt |
| Processed meats such as sausage and corned beef | Fresh chicken, fish or beansProcessed meat is high in salt and saturated fat | Processed meat is high in salt and saturated fat |
| Suya with extra yaji | Grilled fish or chicken with fresh pepperReady-mixed spice blends often carry a lot of salt | Ready-mixed spice blends often carry a lot of salt |
Want a plan made for you?
Sito Metabolic Health Clinic
Sito's dietitians and doctors manage blood pressure alongside blood sugar and weight.
Questions about high blood pressure and food
No. They are lower in salt than typical home or restaurant cooking, with flavour from herbs and spice. If your doctor has set a strict sodium limit, check with them and tell us in your order notes.
Diet changes such as eating less salt, more vegetables and losing weight can lower blood pressure meaningfully. They work alongside any medication you take, not instead of it.
Kidney disease often needs limits on potassium and phosphorus as well as salt, which our menu is not designed around. Please speak to a dietitian before ordering.
Fuel meals support a healthy diet and are not a treatment or a substitute for medical advice. If you take medication for blood sugar or blood pressure, are pregnant, or have kidney disease, speak to your doctor or a dietitian before changing how you eat.