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By Melissa Tennen, HealthAtoZ Writer
Want to lower your blood pressure? Try the DASH eating plan, short for Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension.
This plan is aimed at lowering your blood pressure by focusing on the combinations of nutrients in wholesome foods.
Two studies, both supported by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, offer proof that DASH works. One study looked at adults with a top (systolic) blood pressure number below 160 and a bottom (diastolic) number of 80 to 95. They were given one of three diets: the typical American diet, an American diet higher in fruits and vegetables than the typical diet and the DASH diet.
The DASH plan
The DASH eating plan is lower in saturated fat, total fat and cholesterol than the other two diets. It's also higher in fruits, vegetables and low-fat dairy foods. The results? Study participants on the DASH plan had blood pressure readings lower than those on the typical American diet.
The second study looked at lowering sodium intake to 1,500 mg/day in people on the typical American diet versus the DASH plan.
The DASH plan was the best for lowering blood pressure in both studies. It worked as early as two weeks after starting. DASH isn't just for people with high blood pressure. Even if your blood pressure is OK now, it doesn't mean that you're immune from future problems.
The DASH eating plan includes:
- Daily servings:
- Seven to eight servings of grains or grain products
- Four to five servings of vegetables
- Four to five servings of fruit
- Two to three servings of low-fat dairy foods
- No more than two servings of meat, poultry and fish
- Two to three servings of fats and oils
- Weekly servings:
- Four to five servings of nuts, seeds and dry beans
- Five servings of sweets
The diet is based on a few key points:
- By choosing fruits and vegetables, you're more likely to cut out high-sodium, processed foods. Too much sodium can increase blood pressure.
- A diet lacking calcium, potassium and magnesium is linked to high blood pressure. DASH is rich in these minerals.
- A low-saturated-fat, low-total-fat diet decreases blood pressure. Thirty percent of your daily calories should be from fat, with only 7 percent from saturated fats.
- Healthy foods work together in your body. Skip the supplements. They don't work nearly as well getting nutrients from food.
Getting started:
- Add a serving of fruit to meals. A serving amounts to a handful of strawberries or a medium apple. Add veggies (e.g., a half cup of broccoli) to lunch and dinner.
- Read labels on margarine and salad dressings. Choose products low in saturated and trans fats.
- Buy cereals and breads made with whole grains.
- Try casseroles, pasta and stir-fry dishes, which contain less meat and more veggies, grains and pasta.
- Cut down the size of meat servings. Have a 3-ounce, rather than a 6-ounce, hamburger. Instead of 5 ounces of chicken, have a stir-fry with 2 ounces of chicken and 1 1/2 cups of veggies.
- Sprinkle fruit or nuts into low-fat yogurt.
- Eat fruits canned in their own juices.
- Snack on fruit, vegetable sticks and unsalted pretzels and popcorn.
For a week's worth of menus and recipes, go to www.nhlbi.nih.gov.
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External Source
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The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
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This article was reviewed and updated June 2007.
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