Wellness begins with a healthy diet. In fact, eating healthier foods improves many health problems. This includes high blood pressure (hypertension). The right foods can lower blood pressure. Your doctor may recommend the DASH (Nutritional Approach to Stop Hypertension, or DASH) diet to lower your blood pressure and LDL (bad) cholesterol.

The DASH diet promotes a balanced diet and portion control. Encourage the introduction of more fruits and vegetables, whole foods, fish, chicken, nuts, and fat-free or low-fat dairy products in your daily diet. It recommends reducing foods rich in saturated fat, cholesterol, trans fat, sweets, sugary drinks, sodium (salt) and red meat.

Some people have high blood pressure due to a family history. For others, poor diet, lack of exercise, or another medical condition may be to blame. People with high blood pressure often take medicine. However, diet and exercise can help lower high blood pressure, even if it is part of your family history.

The path to better wellness
Following the DASH diet is simple. It does not require any special or prepackaged food. It is based on many standard foods that you already have in your home. When you are on the DASH diet, you eat about 2,000 calories per day. These calories will come from a variety of foods.

The DASH diet recommendation includes:

• Whole foods (6 to 8 servings a day).
• Vegetables (4 to 5 servings a day).
• Fruits (4 to 5 servings a day).
• Low-fat or fat-free milk and dairy products (2 to 3 servings a day).
• Lean meat, chicken, and fish (6 or fewer servings per day).
• Nuts, seeds, and beans (4 to 5 servings a week).
• Healthy fats and oils (2 to 3 servings a day).
• Sweets, preferably low-fat or fat-free (5 or less a week).
• Sodium (no more than 2,300 mg per day).If you drink alcohol, limit yourself to 2 drinks or less per day for men and 1 drink or less per day for women.
• To further lower your blood pressure, replace some carbohydrates on the DASH diet with low-fat protein and unsaturated fat.
• To lose weight, reduce your daily calories to 1,600 per day.
  Lower your sodium to no more than 1,500 mg per day if you are 40 or older, African American, or have been diagnosed with high blood pressure.
• Adapt the DASH diet to meet your needs. For example, eating lots of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains can provide some protection against cancer, osteoporosis, stroke, and diabetes. Immediate results are possible with the DASH diet. Blood pressure could drop a few points in as little as 2 weeks. However, continue taking your blood pressure medication and consult your doctor.

Aspects to consider
Don’t be discouraged if the DASH diet is difficult at first. Start with small, achievable goals. The following ideas can help you make healthy changes.

• It’s easier to monitor your eating if you keep a diary of what you eat each day. Write down the sodium content, when possible.
• Don’t throw in the towel if the DASH diet seems overwhelming at first.
• Try to make one or two changes at a time until you can do everything.
• Learn to read labels. By knowing the size of a serving, you know how much sodium you are getting per serving.
• Slow down when eating.
• Workout.
• Use spices and herbs to flavor your food instead of salt.
• Choose fewer processed foods (frozen meals, canned soups, packaged mixes, etc.). These contain more sodium.
• Look for foods that say “no added salt,” “no sodium,” and “low sodium.”
  Avoid fried foods. Instead, prepare your food on the grill, steamed, broiled, or poached.
• Apply your new knowledge to restaurant food too. Avoid ordering food with ketchup, mustard, pickles, or sauces. Do not add salt. And if you have time, ask your attendant how the food is prepared.
• Reduce your alcohol consumption to acceptable servings in DASH.