Lower Blood Pressure Naturally with DASH Diet
Learn how to lower high blood pressure naturally with a diet. Hypertension is often called the “silent epidemic” because it affects so many people yet rarely presents noticeable symptoms. This makes it easy to overlook unless actively monitored.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), nearly half of U.S. adults have hypertension, and most do not have it under control. In 2019 alone, this contributed to over half a million deaths. Left unmanaged, high blood pressure significantly increases the risk of heart attacks, strokes, kidney disease, and even blindness. That’s why regular blood pressure checks and a healthy diet and lifestyle are crucial.
The good news is that your diet plays a major role in your overall health, and it’s never too late to start making heart-friendly choices. One diet, in particular, has been specifically designed to help manage high blood pressure—the DASH diet (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension). Backed by research, this eating plan has been proven effective in lowering blood pressure and promoting better heart health.
If your doctor recommends medication to help you control your blood pressure, be sure to take it as directed and go for routine monitoring or testing as required. Work with a dietitian to support your treatment with the DASH diet.
What is blood pressure?
Blood pressure is how much pressure your heart needs to use to keep blood flowing through your vessels. You can think of it as water flowing through a flexible tube versus flowing through a stiff, hard, narrow pipe. Imagine the amount of pressure you would need to push the water through the hose versus the pipe. That’s how blood pressure works. The more force that’s needed, the more pressure it puts on your vessels and the more damage it can do to the pump and the vessels. This is especially true when high blood pressure persists over many years.
A normal blood pressure reading is 120/80 mm Hg. The first number (120 mm Hg) is the systolic pressure in your vessels as your heart beats. The second number (80 mm Hg) is the diastolic pressure in your vessels between beats. If your blood pressure is slightly higher than these numbers, that’s considered “elevated.” However, if your blood pressure gets above 130/80 mm Hg, you may be diagnosed with hypertension.
High blood pressure usually develops over many years. It can happen as a result of diabetes or obesity, or not getting enough physical activity. It can also sometimes happen during pregnancy.
The good news is that there are ways you can manage high blood pressure and lower your risk for heart disease (angina, heart attack, heart failure), stroke, kidney disease, and vision loss.
Lowering blood pressure with lifestyle change
There are several healthy lifestyle habits that can lower your risk for high blood pressure. The first is to not smoke because smoking is associated with many issues, including heart issues.
Another lifestyle habit for healthy blood pressure (and your overall health) is to get at least 150 minutes of physical activity every week. That can be done with as little as 30 minutes per day, 5 days per week.
Sodium and your blood pressure
Your blood pressure is impacted by your food choices. There are several nutrients that can increase or decrease your blood pressure, depending on how much you consume. The nutrients associated with lower blood pressure include the minerals potassium, magnesium, and calcium, along with fiber and protein. The nutrient linked to increased blood pressure is sodium.
According to the American Heart Association, the more sodium you consume, the higher your blood pressure. Sodium is one part of the salt compound sodium chloride. One of the biggest sources of sodium in the diet is not your kitchen salt shaker but the sodium hidden in processed and packaged foods.
A recent study enrolled 20,995 participants with a history of stroke or high blood pressure to see if using a lower-sodium salt substitute would reduce their risk of stroke, heart incidents, and death. Half of the participants continued to use regular salt over several years, while half agreed to use the salt substitute (75% sodium chloride and 25% potassium chloride). After almost five years, the participants who consumed the lower-sodium salt had fewer strokes, heart incidents, and deaths. Their risks were reduced by 12-14%, which is substantial when there are millions of people at high risk from hypertension.
The DASH diet – lower blood pressure naturally
There are dietary patterns and food recommendations that have been put together specifically for hypertension. The DASH diet has been deemed one of the best overall diets by U.S. News and is ranked among the top diets in the categories of heart-healthy, healthy eating, diabetes, easy-to-follow, and overall diets. Harvard Health also rated the DASH diet and says, “Research supports the use of the DASH diet as a healthy eating pattern that may help to lower blood pressure, and prevent or reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, kidney disease, and gout.” Some studies show that the blood pressure-lowering effect of the DASH diet can be similar to that of people taking medication (for stage 1 hypertension).
The DASH diet is full of heart-healthy foods with blood-pressure-lowering nutrients. The recommendations for a 2,000 calorie per day intake include:
- whole grains (6-8 servings/day)
- fruits (4-5 servings/day)
- vegetables (4-5 servings/day)
- low-fat dairy (2-3 servings/day)
- meat, poultry, or fish (no more than two 3 oz servings/day)
- fats and oils (2-3 servings/day)
- nuts, seeds, or beans (4-5 servings/week)
- sweets and sugar-sweetened beverages (no more than 5 servings/week)
The DASH diet limits very few foods and nutrients such as sodium, saturated and trans fats, red meat, and sweets (including sugar-sweetened beverages).
As mentioned, the health benefits of eating a DASH diet are vast and include many of the most common diseases impacting adults.
When switching to a higher-fiber diet rich in whole grains, fruits, and vegetables, it’s important to make the transition gradually. This helps minimize the risk of gas and bloating. A simple approach is to slowly increase your intake of these plant-based foods by adding one or two servings per week until you reach the recommended amounts.
Conclusion
If you have high blood pressure or simply want to adopt a healthier diet to lower your risk of various diseases, the DASH diet could be a great choice. This eating plan is packed with nutrient-rich foods that support overall health and may help reduce the risk of stroke, heart disease, kidney disease, blindness, diabetes, and gout.
One of the best things about the DASH diet is its simplicity. It’s considered one of the easiest diets to follow, focusing on practical nutritional improvements like incorporating more whole grains, fruits, and vegetables into your daily routine.
If you’d like personalized guidance on starting or maintaining a heart-healthy diet, consulting a registered dietitian nutritionist can help you create a plan tailored to your needs.
Concerned about high blood pressure? Looking for expert advice on the best dietary and lifestyle habits to protect your heart and overall health? Need a realistic, sustainable plan to help you live your longest, healthiest life? Book an appointment with me today to see how my program/service can support you.
Book an appointment with me today to start improving your heart health.
References
American Heart Association. (2016, October 31). Managing high blood pressure with a heart-healthy diet. https://www.heart.org/en/health-topics/high-blood-pressure/changes-you-can-make-to-manage-high-blood-pressure/managing-blood-pressure-with-a-heart-healthy-diet
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2021, May 18). High Blood Pressure Symptoms and Causes. https://www.cdc.gov/bloodpressure/about.htm
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2021, September 27). High blood pressure: Facts about hypertension.
Harvard Public Health. (n.d.). Diet review: DASH. https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/healthy-weight/diet-reviews/dash-diet/
Mandrola, J. M. and Neal, B. (2021). Will the Positive Findings From the SSaSS Trial on Salt Substitution Silence the Salt Skeptics? Medscape. https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/957510#vp_1
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. (n.d.). DASH Eating plan. https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health-topics/dash-eating-plan
Neal, B., Wu, Y., Feng, X., Zhang, R., Zhang, Y., Shi, J., Zhang, J., Tian, M., Huang, L., Li, Z., Yu, Y., Zhao, Y., Zhou, B., Sun, J., Liu, Y., Yin, X., Hao, Z., Yu, J., Li, K. C., Zhang, X., … Elliott, P. (2021). Effect of Salt Substitution on Cardiovascular Events and Death. The New England journal of medicine, 385(12), 1067–1077. https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMoa2105675
U.S. News. (n.d.). Best diets 2021. https://health.usnews.com/best-diet
U.S. News. (n.d.). DASH diet. https://health.usnews.com/best-diet/dash-diet
