Lower Your Blood Pressure in a DASH!

Have you or someone in your family ever been told that you have high blood pressure?  According to the National Institutes for Health, about 1 in 5 adults have high blood pressure and don’t know it.  High blood pressure increases your risk of getting heart disease and of having a stroke and the likelihood of having high blood pressure increases with age.  

The good news is that for most of us, high blood pressure and stroke are preventable with medication, exercise, and diet. Eating food with less salt and sodium can help control your blood pressure.  Almost all the sodium we eat is in the form of salt.  The words “salt” and “sodium” are used to mean the same thing. For example, sodium will be listed on the nutrition label, while the front of the package may say, “low salt” or “no salt added”.    

Eating fruits and vegetables, using fat-free or low-fat milk products, and avoiding fatty and fried foods may also help lower your blood pressure. 

The DASH diet (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) is an eating plan that can help lower your blood pressure.   

 It recommends to have: 

• More fruits and vegetables (Fresh or frozen are best) 

• Fat-free or low-fat milk products 

• Whole grain breads 

• Fish, poultry (white meat, without skin), lean meats (96% fat free), and beans 

• Nuts and seeds 

It also recommends limiting salt, sodium, sweets, sweetened drinks, fats, and oils. 

DASH menus and recipes are lower in sodium than traditional dishes and have both 2,300 milligram and 1,500 milligram options.  For more information on the DASH diet, visit www.nhlbi.nih.gov/DASH. 

Another option for lowering salt is to ditch the salt shaker altogether.  Remove it from the table to a less handy place to discourage the habit of salting your food.   

Also cooking with other spices and herbs listed below can be helpful: 

• Cilantro 

• Cumin 

• Fresh garlic 

• Parsley 

• Onion 

• Green pepper 

• Oregano 

• Dash of hot pepper 

African Americans have an even higher risk for hypertension and stroke.  About 40% of African Americans have high blood pressure, but less than half of this population with high blood pressure have it under control.  As a result, African Americans are twice as likely to have a stroke as whites, and more likely to have strokes at a younger age than other ethnic groups.  African Americans are more sensitive to sodium and may need to be more careful with the amount they eat.  It is recommended by health authorities for African Americans to consume 1,500 milligrams of sodium/day, while the recommendation for other ethnic groups is 2,300 milligrams/day. The average American usually consumes more than 3,400 mg/day.  It is important to note that you don’t need to have high blood pressure to follow a low sodium diet.  It is recommended as a preventative step for all Americans.