Lower Blood Pressure with the DASH Eating Plan

What you eat affects your chances of developing high blood pressure (hypertension). Research shows that high blood pressure can be prevented—and lowered—by following the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) eating plan, which includes eating less salt and sodium.

High blood pressure, which is blood pressure higher than 140/90 mmHg [millimeters of mercury], affects more than 65 million—or one out of every three—American adults. Another 59 million Americans have prehypertension, which is blood pressure between 120/80 and 140/89 mmHg. This increases their chances of developing high blood pressure and its complications.

High blood pressure is dangerous because it makes your heart work too hard, hardens the walls of your arteries, and can cause the brain to hemorrhage or the kidneys to function poorly or not at all. If not controlled, high blood pressure can lead to heart and kidney disease, stroke, and blindness.

But high blood pressure can be prevented—and lowered—if you take these steps:

• Follow a healthy eating plan, such as DASH, that includes foods lower in salt and sodium.

• Maintain a healthy weight.

• Be moderately physically active for at least 30 minutes on most days of the week.

• If you drink alcoholic beverages, do so in moderation. If you already have high blood pressure and your doctor has prescribed medicine, take your medicine, as directed, and also follow these steps.
Excerpted from “In Brief: Your Guide to Lowering Your Blood Pressure With DASH,” from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI, www.nhlbi.nih.gov), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and the National Institutes of Health, June 2007.

The DASH Eating Plan

The DASH eating plan is rich in fruits, vegetables, fat-free or low- fat milk and milk products, whole grains, fish, poultry, beans, seeds, and nuts. It also contains less salt and sodium; sweets, added sugars, and sugar-containing beverages; fats; and red meats than the typical American diet. This heart healthy way of eating is also lower in saturated fat, trans fat, and cholesterol and rich in nutrients that are as-sociated with lowering blood pressure—mainly potassium, magnesium, and calcium, protein, and fiber.

How Do I Make the DASH?

The DASH eating plan requires no special foods and has no hard- to-follow recipes. It simply calls for a certain number of daily servings from various food groups.

The number of servings depends on the number of calories you’re allowed each day. Your calorie level depends on your age and, especially, how active you are. Think of this as an energy balance system—if you want to maintain your current weight, you should take in only as many calories as you burn by being physically active. If you need to lose weight, eat fewer calories than you burn or increase your activity level to burn more calories than you eat.

Choose and prepare foods with less salt, and don’t bring the salt shaker to the table. Be creative—try herbs, spices, lemon, lime, vinegar, wine, and salt-free seasoning blends in cooking and at the table. And, because most of the salt, or sodium, that we eat comes from processed foods, be sure to read food labels to check the amount of sodium in different food products. Aim for foods that contain 5 percent or less of the Daily Value of sodium. Foods with 20 percent or more Daily Value of sodium are considered high. These include baked goods, certain cereals, soy sauce, some antacids—the range is wide.

DASH Tips for Gradual Change

Make these changes over a couple of days or weeks to give your-self a chance to adjust and make them part of your daily routine:

• Add a serving of vegetables at lunch one day and dinner the next, and add fruit at one meal or as a snack.

• Increase your use of fat-free and low-fat milk products to three servings a day.

• Limit lean meats to 6 ounces a day—3 ounces a meal, which is about the size of a deck of cards. If you usually eat large portions of meats, cut them back over a couple of days—by half or a third at each meal.

• Include two or more vegetarian-style, or meatless, meals each week.

• Increase servings of vegetables, brown rice, whole wheat pasta, and cooked dry beans. Try casseroles and stir-fry dishes, which have less meat and more vegetables, grains, and dry beans.

• For snacks and desserts, use fruits or other foods low in saturated fat, trans fat, cholesterol, sodium, sugar, and calories—for example, unsalted rice cakes; unsalted nuts or seeds, raisins; graham crackers; fat-free, low-fat, or frozen yogurt; popcorn with no salt or butter added; or raw vegetables.

• Use fresh, frozen, or low-sodium canned vegetables and fruits.

DASH Hints

• Be aware that DASH has more servings of fruits, vegetables, and whole-grain foods than you may be used to eating. These foods are high in fiber and may cause some bloating and diarrhea. To avoid these problems, gradually increase the amount of fruit, vegetables, and whole-grain foods that you eat over several weeks.

• If you have trouble digesting milk products, try taking lactase-enzyme pills (available at drug stores and groceries) with milk products. Or buy lactose-free milk, which includes the lactase enzyme.

• If you don’t like or are allergic to nuts, use seeds or legumes (cooked dried beans or peas).

• If you take medicines to control your high blood pressure, keep taking them. But tell your doctor that you are now eating the DASH way.