An estimated 73 percent of adults with diabetes either have high blood pressure or take prescription medication to lower it.
The American Diabetes Association recommends keeping blood pressure below 130/80 mm Hg. Controlling blood pressure will help you stave off heart disease, strokes, diabetic nephropathy, and other chronic complications of diabetes.
By now, most of you know that eating less sodium can help lower blood pressure. But not enough people know there's more to the story than just lowering sodium intake. In 1997, researchers published the results of the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) study.
What they found was that an overall low-fat diet with lots of fruits and vegetables and low-fat dairy products can lower blood pressure, even without a reduction in sodium intake. The reason for this is that the potassium, magnesium, and calcium contained in these foods help lower blood pressure.
The original DASH study was repeated, this time with the participants also reducing their sodium intake, and it showed that the lower the sodium intake, the lower the blood pressure.
The DASH diet is a healthy way to eat; in addition to lowering your blood pressure, it may even help you lose weight, too! Here are some tips to help you lower your blood pressure — possibly by enough to avoid or stop taking blood pressure medication altogether:
- Eat four to five servings of vegetables each day.
- Aim for four to five servings of fruit each day. (Yes, that's in addition to the four to five servings of vegetables!)
- Try for two to three servings of low-fat dairy products such a milk, cheese, or yogurt.
- Keep meat intake to six ounces or less per day.
- Try to limit your sodium intake to 1,500 mg/day. Especially high in sodium are packaged frozen and snack foods, processed meats like luncheon meats, soy sauce, soups, prepared pasta, and rice mixes. Always read food labels to learn the sodium content of the foods you eat.
Check out the DASH Web site for more information, tips, meal plans, and recipes. Start the DASH to lower your blood pressure today!
