It is quite possible to get rid of hypertension, all you need to do is change your diet. The developed Dash diet allows you to normalize blood pressure and weight.
Benefits of changing diet
Contrary to popular belief, there are diets that contribute not only to weight loss, but also to the overall improvement of the body. One of the most well-known nutritional therapies is DASH (Dietary Approach to Prevent Hypertension).
But not only people suffering from pressure surges can use the developed menu, but also those who just want to lose weight and improve their he alth. Indeed, as a rule, the treatment of hypertension begins just with a change in the principles of nutrition. The disease in most cases is directly related to overweight, excessive levels of cholesterol and s alt.
Proper balanced nutrition can be called the Dash diet. Its menu includes all the substances that are necessary for the full functioning of the body. It is also important to understand that this is not just a diet, but a lifestyle that is desirable to adhere to on an ongoing basis.
Guidelines
A special diet for hypertension has been developed by America's leading cardiologists. Its menu contains a largethe amount of plant fiber. But it is so useful for the heart and blood vessels. But foods that can increase blood pressure and cholesterol levels are excluded from the diet.
The specified diet is high in calories, which can scare overweight people. If you want to lose weight, then you need to consume not 2000 kcal daily, as the developers recommend, but 1600.
Also, in addition to changing the diet, it is desirable to reconsider the lifestyle. To increase the effectiveness of the diet, you can do fitness, start running. If exercise is contraindicated for he alth reasons, then you should get used to regular walking.
Recommendations for hypertension
If you want to start fighting high blood pressure, then the Dash diet will help you. The menu for the week includes not only vegetables and fruits, but also legumes, fish, meat, cereals, nuts, dairy products and milk.
It is important for hypertensive patients to pay attention to the fact that it is necessary to abandon soy sauce, various s alty seasonings and additives, which include monosodium glutamate. Instead, you can use spices, herbs, various spices, lemon or a small amount of wine. If you reduce the amount of s alt, then the pressure normalizes faster. In addition, the kidneys and heart begin to work more efficiently. You can reduce the risk of various negative manifestations of hypertension by consuming fish oil capsules or sea fish.
Also, diet developers recommend less processing of food, abandoning conservation.
Start of change
Before you decide on drastic changes, you need to understand what the Dash diet is. Its menu is quite varied. But its main feature is that you need to eat regularly. Even 5 servings of sweets are allowed per week. Each of them corresponds to 1 glass of sparkling water, 15 g of gummies, 1 tbsp. l. jam, jelly or sugar.
Change your diet in one day is almost impossible. Therefore, experts have developed special recommendations to get used to the regime. You need to start by removing ½ of your usual daily amount of butter, margarine or salad dressing. It is also important to gradually introduce plant-based foods into the diet. For example, if you eat 1-2 vegetables a day, then you need to add one more serving to lunch or breakfast. The same must be done with fruits. Gradually, their number must be brought to the required level.
You also need to monitor the amount of dairy products. For example, it is better to replace sweet tea at lunch with a cup of milk. In addition, it is necessary to reduce the amount of alcohol consumed. Men are allowed to drink up to 60 ml of vodka or 240 ml of wine per day, for women the portion is reduced by 2 times.
It is important to limit your consumption of meat products. They should be no more than 200 g per day. If you eat a lot more meat, then you need to reduce the portion gradually. It is necessary to compose your diet so that the menu is dominated by vegetarian products.
Gradually try to increase portions of rice, vegetables, legumes. Do not exclude sweet snacks, various desserts. The Dash Diet provides that they should be. Snacks include low-fat foods, a variety of fruits, including those that have been canned in their own juice, nuts, raisins, and uns alted popcorn.
Vegetable portions
The basic principle of the diet is that a certain amount of certain foods should be present in the diet every day. The developers found that it is optimal to eat 5 servings of vegetables daily, which are a must on the Dash menu. Each of them corresponds to one of the following items:
- 3 broccoli florets;
- green onion (10 feathers);
- a cup of green leafy vegetables (lettuce, spinach);
- 1/3 medium cucumber;
- 13 radishes;
- 8 young carrots;
- 6 slices of zucchini;
- 1 regular tomato (or 3 small ones);
- half a cup of boiled potato and shredded white cabbage salad;
- 1 bell pepper;
- 1 corn;
- 2 small beets;
- ¾ cup vegetable juice;
- 1 artichoke;
- 4 pcs. Brussels sprouts;
- 6 sprigs of asparagus;
- 7 mushrooms;
- 1 medium turnip;
- ½ cup boiled beans;
- 10 sticks of deep fried french fries;
- a quarter cup of tomato dressing or paste;
- 1 bakedpotatoes;
- 1 onion;
- 1 cup vegetable or bean broth.
But not only vegetables form the basis of the diet.
Fruit
No less important are other plant foods. The right diet without fail includes fruits. 5 servings of these foods should be consumed daily. Each of them can consist of:
- one fruit (apple, banana, pear, peach, orange);
- piece of melon;
- ½ grapefruit;
- ¾ cup fruit juice;
- 7 strawberries;
- 0.5 cup frozen fruit;
- 12 grapes;
- 11 cherries;
- half a glass of any chopped fruit (they can be fresh or canned);
- 1.5 medium plums;
- quarter cup dried fruit;
- 2 apricots;
- mango halves;
- 1/8 avocado;
- 1/4 papaya;
- 1 kiwi;
- 9 pcs. dried apricots;
- 5 pcs. raisins.
Don't forget that 5 of these servings will need to be eaten daily. You can choose what exactly you want, you can independently.
Cereals
The Dash Diet is designed primarily to improve he alth. Therefore, nutrition should be balanced and complete. And this is impossible if you refuse grain crops and bread. You need to consume 7 servings of these foods daily. Each one may include:
-Bagel 6cm long;
- 1 piece of bread;
- 1 roll or small cake (weighing up to 30 g);
- 3 large or 6 small crackers;
- 3 loaves;
- 30g cereal flakes;
- 9 pcs. biscuit cookies;
- half a cup of pasta, rice, porridge;
- 2 breadsticks;
- 2 cups of popcorn.
The right combination of foods is the backbone of therapeutic diets. Medical diets in the first place should not be aimed at weight loss, but at improving he alth. And this can be achieved only when all the necessary trace elements, vitamins and nutrients enter the body in sufficient quantities.
Protein products
The Dash Diet is not a vegetarian diet, as some might think. Although it still has certain limitations. However, you need to consume 2 servings of protein foods daily. These include meat, fish, chicken, eggs, seeds, nuts, beans, crab meat, shrimp.
So one serving of protein foods can consist of:
- beef or pork lean boiled meat (in the amount of 55-85 g);
- skinless boiled chicken (55-85g);
- boiled fish (55-85g);
- 1 egg or 2 egg whites;
- a third of a cup of peanuts or walnuts;
- 30 g lean ham;
- ¼ cup sunflower or pumpkin seeds;
- 1.5 sausages;
- 6 shrimp;
- half a cup of soy cheese;
- 4Pacific or 11 Atlantic oysters;
- quarter cup canned salmon;
- 1/3 cup crabmeat;
- canned fish (55-85g);
- ½ cup baked beans.
Dairy
Inclusion in the diet of fruits, vegetables, meat and cereals will not replace a comprehensive nutrition. It is also important to consume 3 servings of dairy products daily. It can be yogurt, cottage cheese, cheese. Each serving contains:
- 1 cup milk, kefir, acidophilus, yogurt or other drinkable fermented milk product;
- 55g processed cheese;
- cups of pressed cottage cheese;
- half a cup of condensed milk;
- half a glass of non-fat dry milk;
- 50g hard cheese;
- 1.5 cups frozen milk.
Possible menu options
Even knowing how many foods you can eat every day, many find it difficult to make a diet for themselves. A developed diet for hypertension for a week can help.
The menu could be as follows. For breakfast, you can eat a cup of rice (or any other cereal) with honey, 40 g of cheese, a piece of butter. After 2-3 hours, a second breakfast should follow. It can consist of 1 fruit (of your choice) and a serving of nuts.
Dinner should be nutritious. For the third meal, a bowl of soup will do. It is desirable that vegetable broth become the basis for it, and you can fill it with vegetable oil. You can supplement the soup with a slice of bread and boiledchicken (or meat). For the second, cook porridge (for example, buckwheat), make a salad. For an afternoon snack, fruit (kiwi, orange, apple, cherries, grapes) would be ideal. Don't forget about dinner. It may include dairy products. You can not just eat yogurt, but make, for example, cottage cheese casserole. You can supplement it with a glass of juice.
This is just a rough guide for those who are into the Dash Diet. The menu for the week should be varied. It is desirable that it includes the maximum possible number of products from the list. For example, when planning a diet, alternate meat, fish and legumes. This will enable you to get the most out of your diet. But other than that, this variety ensures that you won't get bored or bored with the new mode.
Reviews
Speaking about whether the right diet is effective, you need to understand that it must be followed for at least six months. Although the first results are noticeable, judging by the reviews, after a few weeks. With a change in nutrition, people begin to feel better, sharp jumps in pressure disappear, cholesterol levels normalize.
If you want to smoothly lose weight and fix it, then the Dash diet will come to the rescue too. Reviews indicate that it helps to lose about 3-4 kg per month. In this case, the weight is not returned. Of course, such a rate of weight loss is not suitable for everyone, but they are not stressful for the body. In addition, a person quickly adapts to fractional nutrition. People,Those who have experienced the effect of the diet claim that over time it became difficult for them to eat large portions. They are accustomed to drink enough fluids, eat vegetables and fruits. And this only contributes to the fact that the weight does not return.
Hypertensive patients report that their well-being improves markedly if they adhere to the principles recommended by the Dash diet. The menu for the week, compiled according to all the rules, helps to make the diet not only he althy, but also varied. And experts never tire of repeating that without changing eating habits and lifestyle, it is almost impossible to fight high blood pressure.
