Dash Diet For High Blood Pressure

The Dash diet for high blood pressure has hit the web in a resounding crash, bang! Scientists have proved that  we can keep our blood pressure healthy by the way we live and certainly by the way we eat. (As if we didn't already know that). The following is just a brief summary of the mountain of information found on the Internet about the dash programme. I've also included some of the books (this is where A Blogger's Books comes in) below which will help explain in detail what the Dash diet craze is all about, and some which give you some fantastic Dash diet recipes.

What is the dash diet

First of all, 'Dash' means Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (high blood pressure).

Blood pressure is the force of blood against the artery wall. Generally, everyone’s blood pressure rises and falls at different times of the day. A person is said to have high blood pressure when it stays consistently high for a long period of time.

High blood pressure makes the heart work overtime. The pressure of the blood pushing against the artery walls can also weaken them and destroy (over time) the heart, brain and eyes, which is why hypertension can lead to strokes and blindness.

Dash eating plan should be accompanied by the following to prevent high blood pressure

Obviously lower your salt intake and try to get it to 1,500 milligrams per day if you can.

Keep your weight healthy and stable

Keep active

Drink in moderation

The dash eating plan

How and what we eat definitely plays the key role in keeping the blood pressure stable. The book on the left outlines how we can use weight with a healthy-living programme that involves portion control and a sustainable amount of physical activity - strictly no diets and no gyms. 

Normal blood pressure is about 120/80 mmHg.  The Dash eating plan is the result of specific research done for the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute in America. The following is what they recommend. 

~Eat foods low in saturated fat.

~Monitor your cholesterol intake

~Eat more fruit and vegetables

~Eat fish twice per week

~Eat whole grains instead of processed foods

~Snack on nuts and seeds

~Switch from white to brown sugar

~Trim all the fat off your meats before cooking.

Of course, if you already have high blood pressure, these actions will go a long way to keeping it to a healthy level. The DASH programme is completely safe and can be used for teenagers, upwards. It not only helps with regulating blood pressure, it also promotes a healthier lifestyle in general. 

It goes without saying, naturally, that if you suffer from hypertension, the DASH diet and programme is not to be undertaken instead of your regular medication, but in conjunction with them.

I hope you've found this summary helpful. If you need information about DASH, click on any of the books above and they will go a long way to explaining the details of the programme. As an extra, here are some cookbooks specifically put together for people with high blood pressure. Enjoy!