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Diet and Blood Pressure

If you have high blood pressure, the first step your doctor may ask you to take is to change your diet. What you eat can have a direct impact on your blood pressure. Following the DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) diet can help you meet the unique needs of hypertension.

The DASH diet helps lower blood pressure by helping you:

Cut calories
Reduce salt (sodium) in your diet
Increase the number of fruits and vegetables you eat
Reduce fat intake
Limit the amount of alcohol you drink

The DASH Eating Plan
Making the Switch

The DASH Eating Plan

Studies show the DASH diet can help lower blood pressure in men and women, in minority groups, and even in those who don’t have hypertension but just want to eat a healthier diet. Read through the eating plan below to get an idea of what foods will help you take back control. Keep in mind that the DASH eating plan below is based on 2,000 calories a day. The number of servings in a food group depends on the number of calories you need.

Food Group	Daily Servings (except as noted)	Serving Sizes
Grains and grain products	7–8	1 slice bread 1 cup ready-to-eat cereal* 1/2 cup cooked rice, pasta, or cereal
Vegetables	4–5	1 cup raw leafy vegetable 1/2 cup cooked vegetable 6 ounces vegetable juice
Fruits	4–5	1 medium fruit 1/4 cup dried fruit 1/2 cup fresh, frozen, or canned fruit 6 ounces fruit juice
Low-fat or fat-free dairy foods	2–3	8 ounces milk 1 cup yogurt 1½ ounces cheese
Lean meats, poultry, and fish	2 or fewer	3 ounces cooked lean meat, skinless poultry, or fish
Nuts, seeds, and dry beans	4–5 per week	1/3 cup or 1½ ounces nuts 1 tablespoon or 1/2 ounce seeds 1/2 cup cooked dry beans
Fats and oils**	2–3	1 teaspoon soft margarine 1 tablespoon low-fat mayonnaise 2 tablespoons light salad dressing 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
Sweets	5 per week	1 tablespoon sugar 1 tablespoon jelly or jam 1/2 ounce jelly beans 8 ounces lemonade

*Serving sizes vary between 1/2 cup and 11/4 cups. Check the product’s nutrition label.

**Fat content changes serving counts for fats and oils. For example, 1 tablespoon of regular salad dressing equals 1 serving, 1 tablespoon of low-fat salad dressing equals 1/2 serving, and 1 tablespoon of fat-free salad dressing equals 0 servings.

Making the Switch

The DASH eating plan has more servings of fruits, vegetables, and grains than you may be used to eating each day. Switching to a diet high in fiber may cause bloating and diarrhea for a short period of time, so it’s best to switch over gradually.

To switch to the DASH eating plan, slowly increase your servings of fruits, vegetables, and grains. Here are some tips from the National Institutes of Health on how to safely adopt the DASH eating plan and reduce any discomfort.

Change gradually. Add a vegetable or fruit serving at lunch and dinner
Use only half the butter or margarine you use now
If you have trouble digesting dairy products, try lactase enzyme pills or drops. These are available at drugstores and grocery stores. Or buy lactose-free milk or milk with lactase enzyme added to it
Get added nutrients, such as the B vitamins, by choosing whole-grain foods like whole-wheat bread or whole-grain cereals
Spread out the servings. Have two servings of fruits and/or vegetables at each meal, or add fruits as snacks
Treat meat as one part of the meal, instead of the focus. Try casseroles, pasta, and stir-fry dishes
Have two or more meatless meals a week
Use fruits or low-fat foods as desserts and snacks

Source: NHLBI, 2003.

Sometimes eating a healthy diet is not enough to control your high blood pressure. In these cases, your doctor may prescribe a medicine to make sure your blood pressure stays where it should. To find out about treatment options, go to Medications and Blood Pressure.