09 | 1 | 2007 Posted By Regan Zambri & Long

Addressing High Blood Pressure: Diet and Lifestyle Tips

For many American adults, hypertension (high blood pressure) is a fact of life.  Many adults don't realize, however, that dietary and lifestyle changes can actually delay the onset of hypertension, or even prevent it altogether.  According to Dietary Guidelines for Americans:  2005, a publication by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), there are five basic lifestyle interventions for addressing hypertension:
  • "Reduce salt intake
  • Increase potassium intake
  • Lose excess body weight
  • Increase physical activity
  • Eat an overall healthful diet"
By replacing your cooking salt with a potassium chloride salt substitute, you can reduce your salt intake and increase your consumption of potassium simultaneously.  To address high blood pressure through your diet even more comprehensively, though, you may want to consider a "DASH" diet.  The acronym stands for Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension, and the diet itself consists of increased servings of whole grains, poultry, fish and nuts, and includes few fats, red meats, sweets, or sugared beverages.  The National Institutes of Health advises that people who switch to a DASH diet gradually are more likely to maintain it over time, and offers the following advice for making a successful transition: 
  • "If you now eat one or two vegetables a day, add a serving at lunch and another at dinner.
  • If you don't eat fruit now or have only juice at breakfast, add a serving to your meals or have it as a snack.
  • Use only half the butter, margarine, or salad dressing you do now.
  • Try lowfat or fat free condiments, such as fat free salad dressings.
  • Gradually increase dairy products to three servings per day. For example, drink milk with lunch or dinner, instead of soda, alcohol, or sugar-sweetened tea. Choose low fat (1percent) or fat free (skim) dairy products to reduce total fat intake."
The agency also offers the following advice for helping to make meat a part of your diet, rather than the primary focus:
  • "Buy less meat. If it's not there, you won't eat it.
  • Limit meat to 6 ounces a day (two servings)--all that's needed. Three to four ounces is about the size of a deck of cards.
  • If you now eat large portions of meat, cut them back gradually--by a half or a third at each meal.
  • Include two or more vegetarian-style (meatless) meals each week.
  • Increase servings of vegetables, rice, pasta, and dry beans in meals.
  • Try casseroles and pasta, and stir-fry dishes, having less meat and more vegetables, grains, and dry beans."
You should consult with your doctor if you think you are at risk of developing high blood pressure, or before you make any changes to your hypertension medications.

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