Healthy Foundation Foods
Whenever possible choose fresh – Canned and frozen foods often use salt, fats and sugars. Read the label of a can of vegetables and you might be surprised to see salt and sugar added to your favorite veggie. Fresh fruits and vegetables are lower in salts, sugar, and fats then their preserved counterparts and they are usually higher in nutrition.
Choose lean meats, poultry and fish – Try to avoid processed and cured meats. Look for cuts of lean meat and whenever possible pick white meat poultry over dark parts.
Enjoy your dairy, but hold the fat – Look for low fat and fat free dairy products like yogurt, fat free cottage cheese and low fat or skim milk.
Invite potassium and magnesium into your diet – Foods high in potassium and magnesium have been credited with helping to lower blood pressure. Fruits and vegetables are the best source for both nutrients. Potassium rich foods include bananas, avocados, cantaloupe, tomatoes, spinach, celery, dark green leaf vegetables and broccoli. Magnesium rich foods include most whole grains like whole wheat, barley, brown rice and oat bran, nuts, beans, and spinach.
The Dash Plan
Dash stands for Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension. The Dash plan was created by a coalition of various federal health agencies. It is recommended by the American Heart Association and the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute. The DASH Plan is a plan you can live with; it has lots of choices and maximum flexibility.
Here is the basic DASH Plan. (General guidelines suggest 2000 calories a day with 1,500 milligrams or less of sodium per day.
- 7-8 daily servings of whole grain food
- 4-5 daily servings of vegetables
- 4-5 daily servings of fruits
- 2-3 servings of no fat or low fat dairy products
- 2 or less daily servings of lean meat, poultry and fish
- 2-3 daily servings of healthy fats and oils (like olive oil)
- 4-5 weekly servings of nuts, seeds and dry beans
- 5 weekly servings of sweets