The discussion over controlling blood pressure has always been a topic for medical science. People do exercises, dietary modifications, take medicines, yoga and what not to control blood pressure and yet here we are! so that should get you wondering, isn’t it? what can you do to keep this high blood pressure thing at the bay?
To control the imbalances in blood pressure, our diet can play a crucial role. In today’s discussion, we will unfold the benefits of having a DASH diet. DASH denotes Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension. People who are suffering from high blood pressure or quite exposed to heart and kidney related diseases, DASH diet plan is highly recommended for them.
So what exactly is DASH Diet?
DASH or Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension is a diet that is recommended for people who have high blood pressure or hypertension. It can treat hypertension and minimize the risk of heart disease. People consume the variety of foods in an appropriate proportion in order to get the proper amount of nutrients. DASH diet lowers the consumption of sodium, which in turn helps in lowering the blood pressure. On the other hand, the intake of the right portion of food will result in healthy weight loss too.
So the primary goal of DASH diet is to lower your blood pressure by lowering your sodium consumption. One interesting fact: DASH diet is extremely effective for short and long-term weight loss because you get the right food in the right proportion.
What to eat?
DASH diet includes lots of fruits, vegetables, whole grain and low fats dairy products. It also includes fish, legumes, poultry and a few nuts and seeds. Sweets, red meat, and fats are also included in this amount but in a small amount. The food, involved in DASH diet, is low in saturated fat, total fat, and cholesterol.
- The whole grain foods include brown rice, breakfast cereals, quinoa, and oatmeal.
- The vegetables in DASH diet includes carrot, green beans, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage etc.
- The fruits include apple, peaches, pears, berries etc.
- The dairy products must be low in fat. You can have 1 cup of yogurt or low-fat milk or cheese (approx. 1.5 ounces).
- 6 or fewer servings of protein diet:
- You can take 1 ounce of cooked chicken, meat or fish or 1 egg.
- Apart from this, you can consume nuts, fats and oils candies and sweets but make sure that the quantity is minimum.
You can consult your doctor or a nutritionist before going to DASH diet in order to know how many calories you should consume to achieve your goals. The number of servings in DASH diet depends on the number of calories you need to consume a day.