Issue Date: February 15, 2004
Best foods to beat high blood pressure
This DASH diet could help you as much as drugs.
Your blood pressure used to be "high" if it topped 140/90. Not anymore: New medical guidelines say it should be under 120/80. That means nearly half of adults have a blood pressure problem.
Of course, medications and exercise can help lower it. But diet can equal drugs at controlling blood pressure, says Lawrence Appel, M.D., a professor of medicine at Johns Hopkins University. In a landmark 1997 study, he found that a special DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) diet reduced high blood pressure an average 11.4 points (in the systolic, upper number) and 5.5 points (in the diastolic, lower number).
Since then the DASH diet has become the best-tested, most successful eating plan to prevent and reduce high blood pressure. Eating this way also lowers artery-clogging cholesterol and homocysteine, promotes bone mass, cuts weight and may help prevent cancer.
The diet calls for more fruits, vegetables, and low-fat or fat-free dairy products. It prescribes less fat (especially saturated animal fat), red meat, sweets and sugary beverages. The benefits are greatest when you also restrict sodium and alcohol.
It's not entirely clear why eating the DASH way lowers blood pressure quickly (often within two weeks) and dramatically. Theories: "The DASH diet acts as a natural diuretic," says new Japanese research. Appel says high potassium and low sodium in fruits and vegetables help regulate blood pressure. Weight loss is well-known to lower blood pressure: In a new study, DASH dieters lost an average 13 pounds in six months; the percentage of those with high blood pressure fell from 37% to 12%.
Jean Carper is a nutrition authority. Contact her or sign up for a free e-mail newsletter at JeanCarper.com.
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DASH Diet Mexican Bake
Pressure tactics: Mexican Bake is low in sodium, low in fat and high in fiber.
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1 1/2 cups cooked rice, preferably brown
1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast, cut in bite-sized pieces
2 14.5-ounce cans no-salt-added tomatoes, diced or crushed 15-ounce can no-salt-added black beans, drained and rinsed (or 1 1/2 cups home-cooked, unsalted beans)
1 cup frozen yellow corn kernels
1 cup each: chopped red bell pepper and poblano pepper (or green bell pepper)
1 Tb. each: chili powder and cumin
4 garlic cloves, crushed
1 cup shredded reduced-fat Monterey Jack cheese
Optional: 1/4 cup jalape˜o pepper slices
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spread rice in a shallow 3-quart casserole. Top with chicken. In a bowl, combine tomatoes, beans, corn, peppers, seasonings and garlic; pour over chicken. Top with cheese and optional jalapeño. Bake 45 minutes.
Serves: 6. Per 1 1/2 cup serving: 304 calories, 38g carbohydrates, 31g protein, 5.5g fat (2.4g saturated), 7g fiber, 227mg sodium.
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USA WEEKEND Clip & Save: What to eat on the DASH blood pressure diet
| These recommended amounts are for a person who eats 2,000 calories a day. For more information on the DASH diet, go to nhlbi.nih.gov/health/public/heart/hbp/dash. |
| Food Group |
Daily Servings |
Examples |
| Grains and grain products |
7 to 8 |
1 slice whole-wheat bread, 1/2 bagel, 1/2 cup oatmeal, 1 ounce unsalted pretzels |
| Vegetables |
4 to 5 |
1/2 cup tomatoes, potatoes, carrots |
| Fruits |
4 to 5 |
1 medium banana, orange, apple; 1/2 cup grapes, melon, berries |
| Dairy products |
2 to 3 |
1 cup fat-free or low-fat milk, yogurt; 1 1/2 ounces fat-free or low-fat cheese |
| Meats, poultry, fish |
(2 daily servings or fewer): |
3 ounces lean, not fried; poultry is skinless |
| Fat and oils |
2 to 3 |
1 tsp. soft margarine, or olive or canola oil; 1 Tb. low-fat mayo; 2 Tbs. light salad dressing |
| Nuts, seeds, dried beans |
4 to 5 servings a week |
1/3 cup almonds, walnuts, peanuts; 1/2 cup dried beans, lentils |
| Sweets |
5 servings |
1Tb. sugar, jelly or jam; 1/2 cup sorbet |
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For best results, cut sodium, too |
In one test, DASH dieters who cut sodium to 1,500 milligrams daily (2/3 tsp. salt from all sources) had the greatest reduction in blood pressure. Many Americans eat three times that much sodium.
Low-salt tactics include:
Use spices, not salt, to flavor foods.
Rinse canned foods, such as tuna and beans, to remove some sodium.
Buy fresh, plain frozen or no-salt-added canned vegetables. Regular canned tomatoes have 10 times more sodium than no-salt-added tomatoes. |
Restrict cured meats (bacon, ham), foods in brine (pickles, olives) and condiments (MSG, soy sauce, mustard, ketchup).
Cook rice, pasta and cereals without salt.
Cut back on highly salted canned soup, frozen dinners and packaged mixes |
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SCIENTIFIC SOURCES FOR THIS ARTICLE
DASH Diet reduced high blood pressure
-- Appel LJ, N Eng J Med 1997 Apr 17;336 (16):1117-24
DASH Diet other benefits
-- Lin, J Nutr 2003:133(10): 3130-36
DASH Dieters weight loss
-- Appel...April 23, 2003 JAMA
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