Encouraging Health

What is hypertension?
Hypertension is the term for blood pressure that is consistently higher than normal. Blood pressure is the force of blood against artery walls as the heart pumps blood through the body. Blood pressure can be unhealthy if it is above 120/80. The higher your blood pressure, the greater the health risk.

That’s right. Hypertensive people in a small study slashed their systolic blood pressure by 15 points after doing handgrip exercises for just 8 weeks. Having trouble opening those jelly jars? Here are three quick ways to start getting a better grip.

Behind the Strength
Researchers don’t yet understand exactly how hand exercises help blood pressure. More research is needed before they could be considered a legitimate part of blood-pressure-lowering therapies.

High blood pressure can be controlled if you take these steps:

Maintain a healthy weight.
Be physically active.
Follow a healthy eating plan, which includes foods lower in salt and sodium.
If you drink alcoholic beverages, do so in moderation.
As noted in this list, diet affects high blood pressure. Following the DASH diet and reducing the amount of sodium in your diet will help lower your blood pressure. It will also help prevent high blood pressure.

What is the DASH diet?
Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) is a diet that is low in saturated fat, cholesterol, and total fat. It emphasizes fruits, vegetables, and low-fat dairy foods. The DASH diet also includes whole-grain products, fish, poultry, and nuts. It encourages fewer servings of red meat, sweets, and sugar-containing beverages. It is rich in magnesium, potassium, and calcium, as well as protein and fiber.

How do I get started on the DASH diet?
The DASH diet requires no special foods and has no hard-to-follow recipes. Start by seeing how DASH compares with your current eating habits.

The DASH eating plan shown is based on 2,000 calories a day. Your health care provider or a dietitian can help you determine how many calories a day you need. Most adults need somewhere between 1600 and 2800 calories a day. Serving sizes will vary between 1/2 cup and 1 1/4 cups. Check the product’s nutrition label to determine serving sizes of particular products.

Food Group servings serving size
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Grains and 7 to 8 1 slice of bread,
grain products 1 cup ready-to-eat cold cereal
1/2 cup cooked rice, pasta,
or cereal

Vegetables 4 to 5 1 cup raw leafy vegetable
1/2 cup cooked vegetable
6 oz vegetable juice

Fruits 4 to 5 1 medium fruit
1/4 cup dried fruit
1/2 cup fresh, frozen, or
canned fruit
6 oz fruit juice

Low-fat or 2 to 3 8 oz milk
fat-free 1 cup yogurt
dairy foods 1 1/2 ounces cheese

Lean meats,
poultry, 2 or fewer 3 ounces cooked lean meat,
or fish skinless poultry, or fish

Nuts, seeds, 1/3 cup or 1 1/2 oz nuts
and dry beans 4 to 5 per week 1 tablespoon or 1/2 oz seeds
1/2 cup cooked dry beans

Fats and oils 2 to 3 1 teaspoon soft margarine
1 tablespoon low-fat mayonnaise
2 tablespoons light salad
dressing
1 teaspoon vegetable oil

Sweets 5 per week 1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon jelly or jam
1/2 oz jelly beans
8 oz lemonade

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Make changes gradually. Here are some suggestions that might help:

If you now eat 1 or 2 servings of 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.
Drink milk or water with lunch or dinner instead of soda, sugar-sweetened tea, or alcohol. Choose low-fat (1%) or fat-free (skim) dairy products to reduce how much saturated fat, total fat, cholesterol, and calories you eat. If you have trouble digesting dairy products, try taking lactase enzyme pills or drops (available at drugstores and groceries) with the dairy foods. Or buy lactose-free milk or milk with lactase enzyme added to it.
Read food labels on margarines and salad dressings to choose products lowest in fat.
If you now eat large portions of meat, cut back gradually–by a half or a third at each meal. Limit meat to 6 ounces a day (2 servings). Three to four ounces is about the size of a deck of cards.
Have 2 or more vegetarian-style (meatless) meals each week. Increase servings of vegetables, rice, pasta, and beans in all meals. Try casseroles and pasta, and stir-fry dishes, which have less meat and more vegetables, grains, and beans.

The DASH eating plan was not designed for weight loss. But it contains many lower calorie foods, such as fruits and vegetables. You can make it lower in calories by replacing higher calorie foods with more fruits and vegetables.

Want to read more on Hypertension? Look here.

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