DASH – Emily's Home Care, LLC

Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension, better known as the DASH diet, is one of the first lines of defense when trying to reduce high blood pressure. Research has shown that following a DASH diet along with a low-sodium diet can significantly lower blood pressure as well as, or even better than, using anti-hypertension medications.

High blood pressure is often called the “silent killer” because there usually are no warning signs. It puts you at risk for heart attack, stroke, disability and a preventable early death.

Because of the growing prevalence of hypertension in America, the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), a division of the National Institute of Health, implemented research in the early 1990’s to come up with dietary interventions for hypertension. The studies proved the DASH diet was extremely effective in treating and preventing high blood pressure. The diet is also very effective in lowering blood cholesterol.

Research has shown that people who follow the DASH diet may be able to reduce their blood pressure by a few points in just two weeks. Over time, their systolic blood pressure (the top number in a blood pressure reading) could drop by as much as eight to 14 points, which significantly reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease.

The DASH diet focuses on consumption of vegetables, fruits, whole grains, low-fat dairy, and lean proteins along with moderate exercise. Doctors often prescribe the DASH diet with or without medications to lower hypertension in patients.

Hypertension, or what we usually refer to as high blood pressure, is considered humans’ most common chronic condition, affecting around 1 billion people worldwide. In addition, hypertension is a major risk factor for heart disease, another serious and common chronic condition.

The positive health effects are even greater when DASH is combined with a low sodium diet. US News and World Report has consistently rated the DASH diet as one of the top diets in the world for the past eleven years. Thus, the DASH diet promotes good health for all who use it, not just for people diagnosed with hypertension!

What IS The DASH Diet?

Low in saturated fat, trans fat, and cholesterol.

Emphasizes fruits, vegetables, and low-fat dairy foods.

Includes whole grains, poultry, fish, lean meats, beans, and nuts.

Is rich in potassium, calcium, and magnesium.

Is rich in protein and fiber.

Combined with a low sodium diet has maximum benefit.

Is really not a diet at all: It is a long-term, nutritious way to eat.

Avoids: red meat, processed food, alcohol, salt, sugary soft drinks and fried food.

Not only effective against hypertension, the DASH diet is easy to follow, nutritious, safe, and effective for weight loss. It has also been proven to protect against diabetes and heart disease. It is extremely effective when paired with a low sodium diet. Most importantly, unlike most diets that are temporary in nature, the DASH diet is a sustainable, nutritious way to eat for the long-term.

The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) was instrumental in the development of the DASH diet. More information is available online at https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov.

For more information about the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and other programs, visit www.nih.gov.

ALWAYS CHECK WITH YOUR DOCTOR BEFORE STARTING A NEW DIET OR EXERCISE PROGRAM.

When is the last time your blood pressure was checked? Do you know what the reading was, and if it was in the normal range according to the American Heart Association guidelines? Blood pressure can seem like a mundane and routine metric, which is sometimes simply taken and noted in your chart without much further ado. In fact, most of us don’t give blood pressure much thought, that is until there is a problem! Those who are caught unaware may not have noticed as it was silently creeping up little by little, year after year…until the day it seemed to jump out of nowhere into Hypertension stage 2, or worse!

High blood pressure is hard to detect without a reading. It can become a serious problem because it causes your heart to pump harder to distribute blood around the body. This leads to thickening of the left ventricle which can lead to serious heart problems including heart attacks. In addition to heart damage, high blood pressure (called hypertension) negatively affects your circulatory system and other vital organs all of which can lead to a premature and preventable death.

Importantly, blood pressure readings are noted by a systolic number (the top number) which measures the amount of pressure in arteries during the heart muscle contraction, and a diastolic number (the bottom number) measuring the pressure when the heart muscle is resting between beats. These numbers help tell a story about the health of your heart and arteries, and they can also signal an important call to action as the guidelines below exemplify.

Since 2017 the guidelines for blood pressure are:

Normal: <120 (systolic) and <80 (diastolic)
Elevated: 120-129 (systolic) and less than 80 (diastolic)
High B/P (Hypertension) Stage 1: 130-139 (systolic) or 80-89 (diastolic)
High B/P (Hypertension) Stage 2: 140 or higher (systolic) or 90 or higher (diastolic)
Hypertensive Crisis, Consult doctor immediately: Higher than 180 (systolic) and/ or higher than 120 (diastolic)

High blood pressure left unchecked can cause systematic damage to your heart, arteries, brain, kidneys and more including but not limited to:

enlarged heart/ heart disease/ heart attack
blocked and narrowed arteries
stroke or mini strokes called TIAs (Transient Ischemic attacks)
kidney damage and or failure

Some factors that can contribute to high blood pressure:

diet high in fat, salt, and cholesterol
smoking
genetic factors
lack of exercise
older age
being overweight

Though often there aren’t any, some of the warning signs of hypertension may include:

dizziness
chest pain
severe headaches
nosebleeds
fatigue
vision problems

There are things you can do to combat high blood pressure (whether proactive or reactive):

exercise regularly
stop smoking/ limit alcohol
eat a diet low in fat, sodium, and cholesterol
use the DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) diet and DASH recipes as a guide for what you should be eating
check your b/p regularly and notify your doctor of changes

Maintaining a healthy blood pressure:

Know what your current blood pressure reading is, and what it should be. If you are a caregiver, also know this information regarding the person you are caring for.
If you are serious about tracking your blood pressure, there are great monitors available for home use (Omron for example). It is recommended you take the reading once per week and keep a log so you can share the information with your doctor.
In 2017, for the first time in 14 years, the American Heart Association tightened the guidelines for what constitutes normal blood pressure. Normal is now considered less than 120/80 (less than 120 systolic and less than 80 diastolic).
You can lower your blood pressure effectively through diet (DASH) and exercise, and if needed, the use of blood pressure medications (which are many and varied) prescribed by a doctor.

There are often no warning signs exhibited for hypertension, as my doctor said “it’s not called ‘the silent killer‘ for nothing.” If your blood pressure is in any stage of hypertension I urge you to talk to your doctor and work to get it back down into what is your normal range. I hope to raise awareness on this subject because hypertension can easily go unnoticed until it is too late, and in fact high blood pressure is very treatable, and even more importantly, preventable.

Disclaimer: Please check with your doctor before starting any new diet or exercise program. We are NOT doctors, nutritionists or registered dietitians.