Healthy Eating Recipes and Habits to Lower High Blood Pressure

A person’s diet is an amazing thing. Many people underestimate the power that healthy food choices can make on a broad range of physical conditions including: being overweight, insomnia, acid reflux and high blood pressure. While some people might know that diet can lower high blood pressure, they lack the specific knowledge of what food choices and diet structures can help to lower their high blood pressure.

While there are many different plans and methods to eating healthy, one popular eating plan is the DASH plan which was developed by a coalition of federal health agencies. DASH stands for Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension. DASH is more of a lifestyle than it is a diet plan, and it is recommended by several agencies and physicians including The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute and The American Heart Association. The DASH plan is also the basis of new USDA meal plan “My Pyramid.”

Eating to Lower High Blood Pressure – DASH Plan Basics:

By choosing healthy eating habits, you can dramatically lower high blood pressure. In fact, the American Heart Association states that a plan like DASH can lower high blood pressure in as little as 14 days. Health food choices can also make your body more responsive to high blood pressure medications.

So, what are the basics of the DASH plan? The DASH plan recommends the following dietary choices:
7-8 daily servings of grain and grain products (whole grains are preferred).
4-5 daily servings of vegetables.
4-5 daily servings of fruit.
2-3 daily servings of low-fat or fat-free dairy.
2 or less daily servings of lean meat, poultry, and fish.
4-5 weekly servings of nuts, seeds, and dry beans.
2-3 daily servings of healthy fats or oils (olive oil, low-fat salad dressings etc)
5 weekly serving of sweets.

The DASH plan, also includes a guideline for a 2000 calorie diet for most adults. If your caloric needs are greater or less than 2000, the servings should be adjusted accordingly. Your diet should also include 1,500 milligrams or less of sodium (salt) per day.

Eating to Lower High Blood Pressure – Living with the DASH plan:

Many individuals can read the daily requirements and understand that they are appropriate and healthy food choices. Making them on a daily basis is another thing altogether. If you are making the shift to a eating plan to lower your high blood pressure, you should start with gradual changes. Here are some tips to slowly implement the DASH plan:

Buy less meat. Not only will this help you out financially, but if you buy less meat, you will be forced to find other ways to build a meal. Meat should be an addition to a meal, not the focus.

Add a serving of vegetables to each meal. Introduce a few baby carrots, cherry tomatoes, or other bite-sized vegetable to your lunch. Integrate a vegetable into your breakfast (omelets made with egg whites or egg substitutes with vegetables for example). You will feel fuller and the vegetables will help lower your high blood pressure.

Have a fruit snack. Fruits make a great sweet between meal snack. If you don’t have time for a fruit, have a serving of 100% fruit juice.
Find better condiments. Salsa is full of vegetables and has no fat, and mustard can spice up a sandwich better than mayo. This little things will add up in no time.

Use yogurt or low-fat chocolate milk as a dessert. Many diets are lacking dairy, and most dairy foods taste great!
If you have to snack, try these: unsalted pretzels or nuts mixed with raisins, or low-fat graham crackers.

Eating to Lower High Blood Pressure – DASH Plan Example:

Here is what a sample day could look like under the DASH plan:

Breakfast:
1 cup of apple juice
1 cup of whole wheat grain cereal
1/2 Cup of skim milk
2 oz of raisins
Coffee with sugar-substitute and 1/4 cup skim milk.

Lunch:
Ham sandwich (2 pieces of whole wheat bread, 2 oz of low-fat ham, 1 oz reduced fat cheese, spicy mustard, lettuce and tomato)
1 apple
10 baby carrots
1 serving low-fat yogurt

Dinner:
Spicy Chicken (4 oz skinless chicken breast baked in salsa and topped with low-fat mozzarella cheese)
1 cup brown rice
6 oz zucchini and mushrooms (sauteed in olive oil cooking spray)
6 oz cantaloupe melon

Desert:
1/2 cup low-fat frozen yogurt

This daily menu doesn’t sound to bad does it?

Eating to Lower High Blood Pressure – Next Steps:

For more information including PDF guides to lowering high blood pressure through the DASH diet, sample menus and recipies, visit the following websites:
The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
The Mayo Clinic
The Center for Science in the Public Interest
The National Institutes of Health

Following a diet built on healthy choices, moderation, and balance can lower high blood pressure and increase your health, and awareness. Sound eating habits can have fantastic and unintended consequences. A simple plan like DASH is a great tool for preventing disease, lowering high blood pressure, and maintaining healthy body weight.