Diet to Lower High Blood Pressure

High blood pressure, also referred to as hypertension, does not show any symptoms in the initial period. Blood pressure is the amount of pressure the blood applies on the arteries. Two blood pressure readings are taken, systolic blood pressure and diastolic blood pressure. Systolic pressure is the blood pressure observed when heart beats and diastolic is the blood pressure when heart is at rest, between two heartbeats. Blood pressure is said to be high when, systolic pressure is greater than or equal to 140mmHg and diastolic pressure is greater than or equal to 90mmHg. High blood pressure increases health risks like heart attack and stroke. These are severe health problems and thus, high blood pressure needs to be lowered. Diet is an important factor that plays an important role in lowering the high blood pressure.

Diet for Lowering High Blood Pressure

As discussed earlier, high blood pressure patients need to modify their lifestyle including their diet because the salt intake and weight are the two important factors that need to be controlled for high blood pressure patients. It is necessary to follow a diet that will help maintain proper weight and also control the required blood pressure. There are many natural blood pressure reducers that have helped reduce blood pressure that includes, regular exercise, yoga and diet. All these blood pressure reducers work in synergy to lower the blood pressure. DASH diet is a very renowned diet plan that has proved to be useful for many hypertension patients to lower the high blood pressure. Let us have a look at the DASH diet.

DASH Diet
Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension, more commonly known as DASH diet, is a researched high blood pressure diet that lowers blood pressure within a few weeks. The DASH diet was researched and established by National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute NHLBI. The DASH diet concentrates more on the intake of food that is rich in nutrients, especially on 3 minerals that include calcium, magnesium and potassium, and limits salt and fatty food intake. It also emphasizes the intake of whole grain, vegetables, fruits and low fat meat and dairy products. The diet plan of the DASH diet has helped reduce high blood pressure in many people within a short span of period, i.e. 14 days. The diet works with servings of various food items and it is necessary to know the amount of serving for each one of them. The table given below will guide you with the type of food, number of servings and what should be included in one serving.

Food Item	Number of Servings	One Serving
Grain	6 to 8 per day	1 slice bread, ½ English muffin or bun, ¼ bagel, ½ cup cooked pasta, cereal, corn or rice
Vegetables	4 to 5 per day	1/2 cup cooked or raw vegetables, 1 cup leafy raw vegetable, 6 fluid ounces vegetable juice
Fruits	4 to 5 per day	6 ounces weight of fruit, 6 ounces juice, 1 medium-sized fruit, ½ cup canned, frozen fruit and ¼ cup dry fruit
Dairy	2 to 3 per day	1 cup milk or yogurt, 1 and ½ ounces of cheese, 2 cups of cottage cheese
Meat, Fish and Poultry	2 or less per day	2 and ½ to 3 and ½ ounces cooked, 2 egg whites, 1 fluid ounce egg-substitute, 1 egg
Fats and Oils	2 to 3 per day	1 tablespoon soft margarine, 1 tablespoon vegetable oil, 1 tablespoon low-fat margarine, 2 tablespoons light salad dressing
Nuts, Beans	4 to 5 per week	¼ cup or 1 ounce of nuts, 2 tablespoons or 1 ounce seed, 2 tablespoons peanut butter, ¼ cup cooked lentils, beans or peas

The DASH diet comprises important minerals like calcium, potassium and magnesium and a very low amount of sodium. Sodium in the cooking salt is a major factor that elevates the blood pressure and the high blood pressure patient should strictly lower sodium intake. It is recommended that you consult your physician before you start with any diet for lowering high blood pressure.