Reduce Hypertension With the DASH Diet 
If you are currently suffering from high blood pressure or hypertension, then you should consider going on the DASH diet. DASH stands for Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension. The goal of this diet is, of course, to help lower your blood pressure by eating foods that are high in calcium, magnesium and potassium. Studies have shown that these nutrients help to reduce a person’s blood pressure. Before you decide if you want to start a DASH diet, you will need to talk your doctor to make sure that it is right for you. Also, your doctor can also assist you in making the right choices so that your DASH diet will be a success. As stated earlier, for the diet to be effective, you have to eat foods that are high in calcium, magnesium and potassium. Examples of foods that are high in these three nutrients are fruits, vegetables, nuts, and low fat dairy products. However, taking supplements instead of eating these foods will not be effective in helping you reduce your hypertension. You need to consume these nutrients from natural foods. Besides eating lots of fruits and vegetables, you will probably want to increase your intake of whole grain foods and reduce the amount of sodium in your diet. You could also include fish and poultry in your diet as well. It’s best to consult with your doctor to determine what would be the right amount for you. Like starting any diet, it can be a bit of a challenge. But you can be successful if you take baby steps instead of making one big dramatic change. A lot of times, if you do it all at once, you start to miss the foods that you loved before but can no longer have. As a result you find yourself giving up. By doing it slowly, you will be able to make your diet become part of your daily routine. The way to do baby steps is to introduce parts of your diet in your regular meal and set goals for yourself. For example, if you enjoy pizza, you can buy ready made crust and add low fat cheese and add lots of vegetables that are high in nutrients like broccoli, tomatoes or spinach. Or you could have raw vegetables with low-fat yogurt dip instead of having oily potato chips. As for setting goals, you could tell yourself that you plan to snack on at least one fruit each day instead of having cookies or candy. If you are suffering from hypertension, then the DASH diet is probably something worth doing. Be sure to visit your doctor to see if this is something that you can do and follow the guidelines that your doctor provides. Eating healthy and following a solid exercise plan will help you to lower your hypertension.