Our modern lifestyle has made us susceptible to many diseases. Processed food and lack of physical activity is taking toll on our body. Hypertension or raised blood pressure is one of them. Hypertension increases one’s risk for other heart related issues like coronary artery disease, myocardial infarction, angina pectoris, heart failure, stroke and cardiovascular (CV) events. Fortunately, these risks are decreased with blood pressure (BP) reduction.
Type of Diet you follow and how you follow, play a prominent role in the development of hypertension.
Dietary strategies for the prevention of hypertension:
Reduce sodium intake: reducing the daily dietary sodium intake to 2.3 g of sodium or 5.8 g of sodium chloride) or less.
Limit alcohol consumption: two or fewer drinks per day for men and one or fewer drinks per day for women.
Increasing potassium intake
Physically active life
Adopting DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension)
What is DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension)
You need not to make so much changes in your diet. DASH diet recommends healthy food we already aware of.
The DASH diet consists mainly of fruits, vegetables and low-fat dairy products and includes whole grains, poultry, fish and nuts.
Limit the amount of red meat, sweets and sugar-containing beverages. So limit your intake of candy, soda and table sugar
Intake of saturated fatty acids should be reduced to less than 10% of total energy consumption, and trans fatty acids to less than 1%.
Incorporate healthy fats (polyunsaturated sources : linoleic acid and alpha-linolenic acids) in moderation in your diet,like olive oil, nuts and seeds.
Choose vegetable oils over other oils.
The regular DASH diet program recommends that people eat no more than 2,300 mg of sodium per day (or 1 teaspoon)
Serving Sizes in DASH Diet
The DASH eating plan is easy to follow using common foods available in your grocery store. The plan includes daily servings from different food groups. The number of servings you should have depends on your daily calorie (energy) needs. Based on a 2,000-calorie diet.
- Whole Grains: 6–8 Servings per Day.
- Vegetables: 4–5 Servings per Day
Benefits of DASH Diet
- Lowering blood pressure: Consumption of fruits, vegetables, dairy, and reduced or no animal products (i.e., vegetarian diet) is associated with lower BP. Fiber and protein intake is also associated with lower BP. Intake of several minerals, such as magnesium, potassium, and calcium, has an inverse relationship with BP.
- Weight Loss:Weight loss comes with a calorie deficit, nutrient dense and fibre rich diet in DASH diet. For overweight or obese persons with above-normal BP, the addition of exercise and weight loss to the DASH diet resulted in even larger BP reductions,
- Healthy eating habits: DASH diet is a well-balanced diet. Even if blood pressure levels are normal and healthy, the DASH diet is worth embracing. Reducing processed fats and sweets with rising amounts of fruits, veggies, and low-fat dairy products can ultimately provide the body with abundant nutrients.
Referring links 1.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3633078/