Hypertension and diet

DASH stands for Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension. The DASH diet is an eating plan that is low in fat but rich in low-fat dairy foods, fruits, and vegetables. Following the DASH diet may lower blood pressure. The DASH diet may also help you prevent high blood pressure if you have prehypertension. DASH also recommends eating whole grains, fish, poultry, nuts, seeds, and dried beans (legumes) as part of a balanced diet. Lowering sodium intake can reduce. You can cut down on your salt (sodium) intake by using a salt substitute. Eating fewer processed foods, such as snack items, luncheon meats, fast foods and canned soups, will reduce the amount of sodium in your diet and help you lower your blood pressure. A diet high in calcium, potassium, and magnesium may lower your blood pressure. To increase the potassium in your diet, fruits and vegetables are excellent sources of this nutrient. Dairy products are high in calcium and magnesium. DASH recommends that you eat 8 to 10 servings of fruits and vegetables and 3 servings of low-fat dairy products each day. Eating a diet low in both saturated fat and total fat will also help lower your blood pressure. Saturated fat is found in meats, cheeses, butter, poultry, snack foods, and other processed foods. In general, vegetarian diets reduce blood pressure. The DASH diet could easily be a vegetarian diet if legumes were substituted for meat. Vegetarian diets tend to be higher in potassium, magnesium, and calcium, as is the DASH diet. Vegetarian diets also are higher in fiber and unsaturated fat than other diets. Controlling your weight, increasing your physical activity, and reducing sodium in your diet will help reduce your blood pressure even more when combined with the DASH diet.

Reference: http://www.webmd.com/hypertension-high-blood-pressure/tips-for-following-the-dietary-approaches-to-stop-hypertension-dash-diet