Dash Diet For Hypertension

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The DASH diet stands for “Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension.” Hypertension, which is also referred to as high blood pressure, is a medical condition where a persons’ blood pressure is chronically elevated in the arteries. If a person has persistent hypertension, they are at risk of suffereing from strokes, heart attacks, heart failure, as well as an arterial aneurysm. Persistent hypertension is also the leading cause of chronic renal failure.

A doctor will measure the blood pressure on both arms over the course of a few weeks. If the bood pressure is above 140/90 mmHg, a doctor will state it is hypertension. Some of the things which contribute to hypertension is a person that eats a lot of foods with a high salt content; eating a diet filled with high levels of saturated fat, as well as being obese. In a few studies, it was shown that if an obese patient lost one pound, their blood pressure would decrease by 1mmHg.

Mild hypertension can be treated with a change in eating habits, exercise and better physical fitness. Patients are encouraged to eat a diet with fruits, vegetables, as well as fat-free dairy foods. When a person wishes to follow the DASH eating plan, they will incorporate whole grains, poultry, fish, and nuts into their diet. They will also reduce the amount of fats, red meats, sweets and sugared beverages in their diet.

Below you will find a few guidelines for when you want to follow the DASH diet:

Grains and Grain Products

You should eat 7-8 servings per day from this food group.

Some of the things you could eat include:

1 slice of bread

½ cup of cooked rice

½ cup cooked pasta 

½ cup of cooked cereal

Vegetables

You should eat 4-5 servings per day from this food group.

Some of the things you could eat include:

1 cup raw leafy vegetables
½ cup cooked vegetables
6 oz of vegetable juice

Fruits

You should eat 4-5 servings per day from this food group.

1 medium fruit
¼ cup dried fruit
½ cup fresh fruit
½ cup frozen fruit
½ canned fruit
6 oz fruit juice

Low-Fat or Fat-Free Dairy Foods

You should 2-3 servings per day from this food group.

8 oz milk
1 cup yogurt
1 ½ oz cheese

Lean Meats, Poultry and Fish

You should eat 2 or fewer servings per day from this food group.

3 oz cooked lean meats

3 oz cooked skinless poultry

3 oz fish

Nuts, Seeds and Dry Beans

You should eat 4-5 per week from this food group.

1/3 cup or 1 ½ oz nuts
1 tablespoon or ½ oz seeds
½ cup cooked dry beans

Sweets

You should limit yourself to 5 servings per week from this food group. When you are craving for sweets, you could substitute desserts with fruits, graham crackers, as well as low-fat frozen yogurt.

1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon jelly or jam
½ oz jelly beans
8 oz lemonade

There are a few books that you can check out at the library or purchase at the bookstore which deal with the dash diet. Consider the following list below:

The DASH Diet for Hypertension  by Thomas Moore, Mark Jenkins

The DASH Diet Action Plan, Based on the National Institutes of Health Research: Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension by Marla Heller

Control High Blood Pressure Without Drugs : A Complete Hypertension Handbook by Robert Rowan, Constance Schrader