DASH Diet Lowers Blood Pressure

The DASH diet is a way of eating that lowers blood pressure.

It won Reuters award in 2015 as the best overall diet for the 5th year in a row.  Registered dietitians love the DASH diet because it helps people know what TO eat and is realistic and healthy.  It’s surprising how few people have heard of it.  DASH stands for Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension and is meant for people with high blood pressure.  It also is heart healthy and good for most everyone.  DASH is a “combination plan” which is lower in saturated fat, total fat, and cholesterol, and rich in fruits, vegetables, and low-fat dairy foods, and encourages whole grains.  The DASH plan is rich in various nutrients known to benefit blood pressure, specifically, potassium, magnesium, and calcium.

The amount of servings recommended of each food group depends on your total calorie needs.

If you need 2000 calories a day,  aim for:

• 7-8 servings of grains
• 8-10 servings of fruits and vegetables,
• 2-3 servings of lowfat or fat-free dairy

This sounds like a lot I know.  But the fact is, we need to be eating a mostly plant based diet.  Americans  tend to eat too many processed foods with added sugar and fat and not enough basic healthy foods that come from the earth.  Think about all the flavors of chips on the market!

Choose My Plate is a good guide to follow for what your plate should look like.

One half of your plate is fruits and vegetables, one quarter is grains, and one quarter is protein foods, plus a serving of low-fat or fat-free dairy is included on the side.  In case you haven’t heard, this plate guide replaced the previous Food Guide Pyramid, which people had a hard time understanding.  There is great information about what to eat and making healthy choices on the website choosemyplate.gov.    It closely matches the DASH plan but is a visual that makes portions easier to understand.

Most people with diabetes also have high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease.  Blood pressure goals for people with diabetes is <140/90.  It is important to control glucose, plus blood pressure, plus lipids, such as cholesterol and triglycerides.  The DASH diet works well for people with diabetes.  But remember you only need one plate of food at a meal, and don’t stack the food up too high.

If you live in the Panama City, FL area and would like help getting all the benefits you can from your diet, contact me to discuss.  I also teach nutrition classes to groups who want to improve their health.