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DASH diet for arterial hypertension (or high blood pressure)
One of the methods a doctor may recommend for lowering high blood pressure is to start a DASH diet (Siervo et al – 2015).
DASH stands for Dietary Approach to Stop Hypertension and means “dietary measures to stop hypertension (high blood pressure)”.
The diet is simple:
- eat lots of fruits and vegetables (Craddick et al. – 2013);
- Reduce foods with saturated fat and trans fats;
- eat abundant whole grains, fish and nuts;
- avoid red meat, desserts, sweetened drinks and table salt Onvani et al. – 2015).
In some studies, people who opted for the DASH diet had their blood pressure lower within 2 weeks.
This type of diet is indicated for the following types of hypertension:
- Essential hypertension
- Secondary H.
- Diastolic H.
The diet for people with high blood pressure does not have to be intended for weight loss (low in calories), but it is important to lower blood cholesterol and try to reduce the plaques of atherosclerosis, which impede blood flow in the arteries.
A vegan diet is naturally suitable for the treatment of mild or severe hypertension, whereas a vegetarian diet must be adjusted as cheese and dairy products are contraindicated.
People with high blood pressure and heart disease who are taking medications (for example, beta-blockers or diuretics) should accompany them with a personalized diet that also takes into account the other disorders.
Green leafy
vegetables These foods contain a lot of potassium and little sodium. This can help lower arterial blood pressure.
Green leafy vegetables (such as romaine lettuce, arugula, kale, Chinese cabbage, and spinach) contain a lot of potassium.
Fruits
Forest fruits (especially blueberries) contain many natural compounds called flavonoids.
A study has found that the intake of these compounds can prevent high blood pressure and possibly help lower blood pressure (Johnson et al. – 2015).
Beetroot
Some researchers have found that patients with hypertension have experienced significant improvement by drinking beetroot juice (Coles et al. – 2012).
The authors of the study concluded that the nitrates in this juice lower blood pressure in just 24 hours.
Oatmeal
To lower blood pressure, foods that contain a lot of fiber and low in fats and sodium are also excellent. Oatmeal belongs to this category (Keenan et al. – 2002).
Bananas
Bananas are an excellent means of adding potassium to the diet. Adding foods that contain a lot of this mineral to your daily diet is better than taking supplements.
Other antihypertensive foods include:
- Oats
- Tofu
- Garlic (Ried et al. 2008)
- Cucumber
- Apple
- Almond
- Avocado
- Fig
- Spinach
- Baked potatoes
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Frischer Fisch (Appel – 2006)
- Whole grain rice, etc.
One should try to incorporate all these foods into the daily diet. On the basis of these foods you can set up a nutrition plan.
A dietitian or nutritionist will put together the most appropriate diet.
While waiting for a consultation appointment, you can follow the following scheme.
Breakfast
30 g fresh spinach leaves
1 pear in slices 2 tangerines
1/2 cup almonds
2 tablespoons red wine dressing with low fat content
Lunch
50 grams of low-sodium bread prepared without milk 1 cup low-fat stockfish cooked in herbs 1 cup whole grain rice
1/2 cup fresh, steamed green beans
Dinner
80 grams of pasta (for example, spaghetti)
5 walnuts
1 cup fresh forest fruits with chopped mint
herbal tea
Snack (anytime)
1 cup low-calorie skimmed yogurt
40 grams of pumpkin seeds
Menu for the 2nd day
Breakfast
1 cup mixed fruit (such as melon, banana, apple and forest fruits) with 1 cup low fat and calorie vanilla yogurt and 1/3 cup walnuts.
1 bran emuffin
1 teaspoon margarine without trans fats
1 cup peas
herbal tea
Lunch
A curry sandwich with:
1 medium whole wheat tortilla
85 grams of sliced and cooked white fish 1/2 cup sliced apple 2 tablespoons fat-free mayonnaise
1/
2 teaspoon curry powder
1/2 cup (or about 8) raw carrots
40 grams of rye bread
Dinner
1 cup whole wheat spaghetti with marinara sauce, without added salt
2 cups mixed salad 1 tablespoon low-fat salad dressing
1 whole wheat bun
5 peanuts
1 nectarine
Snack
Mixed nuts and dried fruit consisting of:
- 1/4 cup raisins
- 2 tbsp sunflower seeds
Menu for the 3nd day
Breakfast
1 cup oatmeal with 1 teaspoon cinnamon 1 slice whole wheat toast
5 walnuts 1 banana
1 cup herbal tea
Lunch
Tuna salad with:
1/2 cup unsalted, natural tuna 15 grapes 1/4 cup diced celery, served with
2 cups of romaine lettuce
1 bun
10 hazelnuts or cashews
Dinner
100 grams of spelt with:
50 grams of
chickpeas 1 cup of peppers, onions, mushrooms and cherry tomatoes
1/3 cup walnuts
2 pineapple slices
Raspberry and blueberry spritzer with:
0.2 litres raspberry and blueberry juice 0.2 to
0.4 litres sparkling water
Snack
1 cup skimmed yogurt
1 peach
- Foods to lower high blood pressure during pregnancy
- Arterial hypertension: values, guidelines and natural remedies
- Recommended diet for high blood pressure, foods to avoid
