DASH diet for high blood pressure?

21 years ago

I was at the doctor's for something else, and my blood pressure was a bit high. He told me to cut down on salt, stop taking OTC cold medicines, and come back in a few weeks to get it checked again. It's been high before, and this runs in my family, so I won't be surprised if he wants to start me on medicine at that point--but I'd like to minimize it.

I came across the DASH diet that's supposed to lower you blood pressure. It's lower salt, more potassium, lots of fruits and veggies. Has anyone had much success with it? Have you been able to follow it very well using prepared/convenience foods? I hate to cook!

Erica

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Comments (3)

PeaBee4
21 years ago
Prepared/convenience foods are loaded with salt. Far more than anyone needs, even those with no BP problems. So to answer your question, NO, you can't follow it very well and eat those foods. It just depends on what you hate most, high blood pressure or cooking. Try getting on the DASH diet gradually and you won't miss your favorites quite as much. But you really need to do it.
Good luck
PB
jenn
21 years ago
Lower salt and lots of fruits and veggies would benefit everyone. I've read that the potassium in bananas and other foods can help lower BP. PB is right -- prepared/convenience foods are loaded with sodium, and lots of other things that aren't healthy.

I'm not a huge fan of cooking either but there are simple things you can fix. I'd avoid sauces, gravies, canned items as much as possible and eat just pure foods cooked in a little olive oil such as chicken or fish, steamed vegies or salads with lots of vegies in them (go easy on the dressing), a little butter (not margarine) with whole grain bread, and fruit for snacks and dessert with some wheat crackers.

BTW, exercise and losing weight is very helpful too. My mom took medication for high BP for years (it runs in her family ) and was able to stop taking the medication after she recently lost all her excess weight through daily exercise and healthier eating, at the age of 74. I'm very proud of her for taking that route.

Jen
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My husband had high blood pressure, which also runs in his family. He was overweight too. His doctor put him on the Protein Power diet and told him if he didn't lower his BP in 6 weeks, he would have to go on meds. DH was very good on the diet (we are doing it together) and in 6 weeks, he had lost over 20 pounds and his BP was well within normal range. Also his cholesterol profile improved quite a bit (wasn't horrible before, but much better now). As of right now, DH doesn't do any exercise at all. But I am going to sign us both up for some sort of martial arts class, which he said he would do. I was pretty much set against him using BP meds due to all the side effects, plus he really needed to lose weight, so I was very pleased with the results of this diet. BTW- I have lost almost 20 pounds and gone down from a size 14 to a size 8 on the same diet. I have a very active job, which helps me stay in shape (I'm a vet tech). I also don't mind the heat and humidity so I walk the dogs much more often than DH does. I don't have high BP (just the opposite in fact) but the diet sure did jump-start my weight loss- 13 pounds in the first 2 weeks encouraged me to stay on the diet. I go in for a physical soon, so I'll report my BP and other health indicators.
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I am 73 years old. Some 30 years ago, my BP started going up, and I was advised to reduce salt. I did it and monitored my BP every day, and watched it go down gradually but steadily. and it stayed down for a few years. Then it started climbing again, and I started taking anti-hypertensive medications. I now take two different such medications to keep my BP within normal range, and I watch my diet. Eliminating salt from your diet is very difficult because so many things contain salt. It's not just avoiding the salt shaker and avoiding salt in the food you cook. Most people do not know it, but milk, bread and most cold cuts and cheeses contain salt. Meats and fishes also contain some salt. The only things that contain no salt are potatoes, fruit and veggies, rice, grains, beans and unsalted nuts. You can accustom your taste buds to "like" unsalted food and, after a few weeks, you will find even lightly salted things too salty and wonder how you ever ate them. Depending on your personal situation, you might make life very complicated for the people you live with. If you decide to embark on this low sodium effort, make sure your BP elevation is not so high as to pose a serious risk, because you could do yourself harm if you do not get your BP under control promptly. Another thing to consider is that some people with high BP have a form of the disease that is particularly salt-sensitive. They respond especially well to reduced sodium intake. If your illness is not of that type, then you will probably eventually find that sodium restriction does not afford you the degree of BP control that you need, and you will have to start taking medication. Of you can try calcium supplements, but they can be constipating. The cheapest and for most people safest starting antihypertensive medication is hydochlorthiazide (HCZT), which is available as a generic and costs less than $20 per month. It's a very safe drug, and you will probably not experience any unpleasant side effects. Blood pressure control is one of the few areas where the drug industry has succeeded very well. The available treatments are highly effective and extremely safe. You will hardly know you are taking any medication, and the "silent killer" can be kept safely at bay.
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She was taking a B complex for a while and she may have stopped. She said "the bottle says to take two but I thought more might be better so I take three" -- that's another thing that stands out because she is a retired RN and always was very sensible and conservatibe about taking medications. She was taking a multivitamin for a while, but may have stopped that too. My dad is a health fanatic and tends to nag and correct her when she starts to take vitamins -- "did you take your vitamins?"; "don't take those together...", etc. I told her to take them in private when he's not around, but I suspect she stopped taking them altogether. She makes such a big deal about eating a regular sized meal of moderate portions -- "I can't believe I ate all that!" etc. when everyone else ate the same amount or more. Or she passes around her plate at the table at social functions to share her food, saying how full she already is and "I can't eat all this food!" when everyone else is enjoying their full plate (how do I politely stop her from passing around her plate like that? I wish she would just stop eating and not say anything to bring attention to herself). I don't understand what that's all about, but I think if she is so full with half a plate of food when she hasn't eaten for hours, then she is probably undereating (dieting) and her metabolism has slowed down. But whatever I say will go in one ear and out the other -- especially now that she has successfully lost weight and is thinner than ever. I don't know if she'll ever let any of us do anything for her unless she is totally helpless. Jen
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ericasj
Original Author
21 years ago
Thanks for the replies. I think you're right about just trying to keep things simple. Congratulations to your mom, Jen. I know losing more weight would help me, too, but it's not an easy process.

I managed to lose 10 pounds last year watching fat and calories, still eating a fair amount of fast food. I went to CalorieKing.com, found the seemingly healthiest foods at our usual haunts, and made up a list of "safe" foods I liked. But I hadn't even looked at sodium content.

Now I'm looking over those old reliables, and finding tons of sodium wherever I look. It's as if they know they are losing flavor using lower fat, and are trying to make up for it with more salt. At McDonald's, even their McVeggie burger on a whole wheat roll has 1200 mg of sodium! The low fat salad dressing I had yesterday turned out to have over 700 mgs, and the grilled chicken salad by itself had 800.

I don't plan on giving this stuff up altogether, but I can sure see how careful you'd need to be to make up for just one fast-food meal.

DASH diet for high blood pressure?

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PeaBee4

jenn

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DASH diet for high blood pressure?

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PeaBee4

jenn

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