“Daddy, your blood pressure is not spiritual. It’s swallow.”
Obiageli had never shouted at her father before.
But that day, she did.
The third time he slumped.
It started quietly.
He would wake up in the morning holding the side of his head.
“This my BP is high again,” he’d say.
“Maybe it’s because of the stress… or the weather… or the landlord that came yesterday.”
And every time, he would reach for his drawer and bring out the Amlodipine.
Swallow it with water. Rub his chest. Sit quietly for a while.
Then he’d go back to eating his usual:
—White rice.
—White bread.
—3-4 wraps of Fufu with egusi.
—No vegetable. No fiber. No fish. No protein.
—Just carbs, oil, and excuses.
Obiageli had tried to talk to him before.
“Daddy, this your daily bread is killing you.”
“Leave me, you that studied food, do you know how long I’ve lived?”
“It’s not the food. It’s this hard country. It’s our bloodline.”
He would say his own father had high blood pressure.
And his grandfather before that.
So he just accepted it as fate.
But fate came with hospital bills and fatigue and ringing in the ears and a BP machine that was now permanently on the dining table.
The day it got real was the day he slumped in the kitchen.
Not fainted. Slumped.
Eyes open. Hands shaking. Mouth drooping slightly.
Obiageli froze. Then screamed.
Neighbours ran in.
They rushed him to the hospital.
BP: 198/112.
Doctor said: “If you didn’t bring him in time, he would have entered stroke. A full one.”
And even then… when he woke up, the man still asked for rice and stew.
That’s when Obiageli snapped.
“Daddy, your BP is not hereditary.
It’s not that old woman that doesn’t greet you.
It’s not the village.
It’s the plate you keep piling with rice and meat and nothing else.
It’s your body trying to shout louder than your excuses.”
He looked at her. Quiet. Tired. Confused.
“Then what do I eat, Obiageli? You want me to starve?”
She softened. Held his hand.
“No, Daddy. I want you to live.
I want you to walk me down the aisle.
I want you to hold your grandchildren.
I want you to stop making your blood fight every time you swallow eba.”
She taught him.
That it’s not salt that is killing Nigerians.
It’s swallow 3 times a day.
It’s processed carbs without protein.
It’s bread, biscuit, malt, sugar, repeat.
She told him the truth:
—Insulin is what’s causing the pressure.
—High carb = high insulin = high fluid retention = blood vessels under siege.
—It’s not prayer-resistant. It’s food-provoked.
And for the first time… he listened.
Three Months Later
He walks more now.
He eats eggs. Vegetables. Protein. He fasts.
He doesn’t wake up dizzy anymore.
The BP machine is still on the table — but it reads 128/82 now.
And sometimes he tells the neighbours:
“My daughter saved my life. Not with drugs. With knowledge.”
Obiageli’s Final Words?
If your father is still blaming stress for his high blood pressure,
If your mother still thinks rice is harmless,
If your uncle is swallowing medication but never fixing his food…
You better speak up.
Because stroke doesn’t care who you’re praying to.
But food?
Food will either destroy or deliver.
Don’t wait till your loved one slumps.
Don’t wait till your own BP machine becomes furniture.
“Daddy, your blood pressure is not spiritual. It’s swallow.”
Obiageli had never shouted at her father before.
But that day, she did.
The third time he slumped.
It started quietly.
He would wake up in the morning holding the side of his head.
“This my BP is high again,” he’d say.
“Maybe it’s because of the stress… or the weather… or the landlord that came yesterday.”
And every time, he would reach for his drawer and bring out the Amlodipine.
Swallow it with water. Rub his chest. Sit quietly for a while.
Then he’d go back to eating his usual:
—White rice.
—White bread.
—3-4 wraps of Fufu with egusi.
—No vegetable. No fiber. No fish. No protein.
—Just carbs, oil, and excuses.
Obiageli had tried to talk to him before.
“Daddy, this your daily bread is killing you.”
“Leave me, you that studied food, do you know how long I’ve lived?”
“It’s not the food. It’s this hard country. It’s our bloodline.”
He would say his own father had high blood pressure.
And his grandfather before that.
So he just accepted it as fate.
But fate came with hospital bills and fatigue and ringing in the ears and a BP machine that was now permanently on the dining table.
The day it got real was the day he slumped in the kitchen.
Not fainted. Slumped.
Eyes open. Hands shaking. Mouth drooping slightly.
Obiageli froze. Then screamed.
Neighbours ran in.
They rushed him to the hospital.
BP: 198/112.
Doctor said: “If you didn’t bring him in time, he would have entered stroke. A full one.”
And even then… when he woke up, the man still asked for rice and stew.
That’s when Obiageli snapped.
“Daddy, your BP is not hereditary.
It’s not that old woman that doesn’t greet you.
It’s not the village.
It’s the plate you keep piling with rice and meat and nothing else.
It’s your body trying to shout louder than your excuses.”
He looked at her. Quiet. Tired. Confused.
“Then what do I eat, Obiageli? You want me to starve?”
She softened. Held his hand.
“No, Daddy. I want you to live.
I want you to walk me down the aisle.
I want you to hold your grandchildren.
I want you to stop making your blood fight every time you swallow eba.”
She taught him.
That it’s not salt that is killing Nigerians.
It’s swallow 3 times a day.
It’s processed carbs without protein.
It’s bread, biscuit, malt, sugar, repeat.
She told him the truth:
—Insulin is what’s causing the pressure.
—High carb = high insulin = high fluid retention = blood vessels under siege.
—It’s not prayer-resistant. It’s food-provoked.
And for the first time… he listened.
❤️ Three Months Later
He walks more now.
He eats eggs. Vegetables. Protein. He fasts.
He doesn’t wake up dizzy anymore.
The BP machine is still on the table — but it reads 128/82 now.
And sometimes he tells the neighbours:
“My daughter saved my life. Not with drugs. With knowledge.”
💡 Obiageli’s Final Words?
If your father is still blaming stress for his high blood pressure,
If your mother still thinks rice is harmless,
If your uncle is swallowing medication but never fixing his food…
You better speak up.
Because stroke doesn’t care who you’re praying to.
But food?
Food will either destroy or deliver.
📩 Don’t wait till your loved one slumps.
Don’t wait till your own BP machine becomes furniture.
English
Arabic
French
Spanish
Portuguese
Deutsch
Turkish
Dutch
Italiano
Russian
Romaian
Greek