Managing High Blood Pressure With a Healthy Diet

by Meals Matter | about the author 14. October 2009 12:56

Managing High Blood Pressure With Healthy Diet

Eating a diet that is rich in low-fat milk, cheese and yogurt, as well as fruit and vegetables, can lower blood pressure. Studies have shown that a diet with three servings of low-fat milk or milk products and high amounts of fruits and vegetables (eight to nine servings per day) can lower blood pressure as much as some blood-pressure-lowering drugs.

It is important to note that in a large clinical trial, a low-fat diet with added fruits and vegetables alone (without the low-fat dairy foods) lowered blood pressure by half as much as the diet including dairy foods.

In addition to lowering blood pressure, the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet is a balanced healthy eating plan that lowers the risk for diabetes, heart disease, osteoporosis, cancer, and obesity.

See more DASH diet recipes and healthy eating resources on the DASH diet eating plan.

Tags: calcium, dash diet, high blood pressure, hypertension, healthy eating