What foods are included in the DASH diet?

The diet is simple:

Eat more fruits, vegetables, and low-fat dairy foods.

Cut back on foods that are high in saturated fat, cholesterol, and trans fats.

Eat more whole-grain foods, fish, poultry, and nuts.

Limit sodium, sweets, sugary drinks, and red meats.

Limit the salt shaker and these high sodium foods that increase blood pressure:

Canned Beans. Canned beans can be loaded with sodium for preservation purposes.

Premade Soups.

Canned or Bottled Tomato Products.

Packaged and Processed Meats.

Frozen Meals.

Candy.

Soft Drinks.

Pastries.

Because there are no set foods on the DASH diet, you can adapt your current diet to the DASH guidelines by doing the following:

Eat more vegetables and fruits.

Swap refined grains for whole grains.

Choose fat-free or low-fat dairy products.

Choose lean protein sources like fish, poultry and beans.

The Basics. Eat: Vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, legumes, potatoes, whole grains, breads, herbs, spices, fish, seafood and extra virgin olive oil. Eat in moderation: Poultry, eggs, cheese and yogurt.

Here are sample menus to get you started. Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) is an eating plan to lower or control high blood pressure. The DASH diet features menus with plenty of vegetables, fruits and low-fat dairy products, as well as whole grains, fish, poultry and nuts.

13 foods that help lower blood pressure

Leafy greens. Potassium helps your kidneys get rid of more sodium through your urine.

Berries. Berries, especially blueberries, are rich in natural compounds called flavonoids.

Red beets.

Skim milk and yogurt.

Oatmeal.

Bananas.

Salmon, mackerel, and fish with omega-3s.

Seeds.

The DASH diet emphasizes foods rich in protein, fiber, potassium, magnesium and calcium and low in saturated fat, sugar and salt. On your plate, that looks like plenty of fruits and vegetables, beans, nuts, fish, poultry, whole grains and low-fat dairy, with fewer fatty meats and sweets.

Because the DASH diet is a healthy way of eating, it offers health benefits besides just lowering blood pressure. The DASH diet is also in line with dietary recommendations to prevent osteoporosis, cancer, heart disease, stroke and diabetes.

If your blood pressure is extremely high, there may be certain symptoms to look out for, including:

Severe headache.

Fatigue or confusion.

Vision problems.

Chest pain.

Difficulty breathing.

Irregular heartbeat.

Blood in the urine.

Pounding in your chest, neck, or ears.

The Mediterranean diet emphasizes: Eating primarily plant-based foods, such as fruits and vegetables, whole grains, legumes and nuts. Replacing butter with healthy fats such as olive oil and canola oil. Eating fish and poultry at least twice a week.

The DASH eating plan is healthy for people with diabetes. It emphasizes whole grains, vegetables and fruits, low-fat dairy products, lean meats, and is low in saturated and trans fats. The DASH eating plan used along with other healthy behaviour changes can help you control blood pressure.

The DASH diet (Dietary approaches to stop hypertension) is a dietary pattern promoted by the U.S.-based National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), an agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services) to prevent and control hypertension.

The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute created the Therapeutic Lifestyle Changes (TLC) diet especially for people with high levels of LDL (the bad cholesterol). The diet caps the percentage of calories you take in from fat, and also places limits on sodium, dietary cholesterol, and total calories.

Low-Sodium Alternatives:

Any fresh or frozen beef, lamb, pork, poultry and fish.

Eggs and egg substitutes.

Low-sodium peanut butter.

Dry peas and beans (not canned)

Low-sodium canned fish.

Drained, water or oil packed canned fish or poultry.

DASH is an acronym for Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension. The DASH “combination diet” has been shown to decrease the blood pressure and so helps prevent and control high blood pressure. The DASH “combination diet” is rich in fruits, vegetables, and low fat dairy foods, and low in saturated and total fat.

A diabetes diet is a healthy-eating plan that’s naturally rich in nutrients and low in fat and calories. Key elements are fruits, vegetables and whole grains. In fact, a diabetes diet is the best eating plan for most everyone.

Eating salt raises the amount of sodium in your bloodstream and wrecks the delicate balance, reducing the ability of your kidneys to remove the water. The result is a higher blood pressure due to the extra fluid and extra strain on the delicate blood vessels leading to the kidneys.

The American Heart Association recommends no more than 2,300 milligrams (mgs) a day and an ideal limit of no more than 1,500 mg per day for most adults, especially for those with high blood pressure. Even cutting back by 1,000 mg a day can improve blood pressure and heart health.

There are plenty of natural ways and lifestyle changes to raise low blood pressure, including the following lifestyle changes.

Eat more salt.

Avoid alcoholic beverages.

Discuss medications with a doctor.

Cross legs while sitting.

Drink water.

Eat small meals frequently.

Wear compression stockings.

Avoid sudden position changes.

Lemon juice has commonly been used by hypertensive patients in order to lower blood pressure (BP) acutely when BP is raised or as an alternative/complementary therapy for expectation of chronic improvement. This study did not show any beneficial effects of lemon juice on elevated BP.