July Anderson - Dash Diet Cookbook for Beginners: 555 Amazing and Simple Recipes for 2020. Lose Weight Fast, Easy and in Healthy Way!

According to research, one out of 3 adults in the US suffers from high blood pressure. About 59 million or 28 percent of the country's population experience prehypertension, a medical condition that can lead to stroke and heart ailment.

High blood pressure is a condition when the blood pressure stays elevated longer than usual. It is usually caused by your weight, foods you eat, sodium intake, improper stress management, smoking, alcohol consumption and level of your physical activity.

You have to make two vital changes in your diet to maintain a healthy level of blood pressure. First, you have to eat less sodium or salt and you need to follow the DASH eating plan.

DASH stands for Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension. It is an eating plan that aims to maintain healthy levels of blood pressure by being mindful of your calorie and sodium intake.

This eating plan includes nuts, poultry, fish, whole grains, fruits, veggies, and low-fat milk. Here are the other important rules in this kind of an eating plan:

• Eat veggies rich in protein like cooked legumes, such as chickpeas, lentils, and kidney beans.
• It is rich in calcium, potassium, magnesium and high in fiber.
• Reduce your intake of sweetened drinks, sweets, and red meat.
• Limit your intake of sodium or salt to 2000mg per day.
• You'll consume foods with low content of cholesterol, saturated fat, and total fat.

The Benefits of the Diet

Through several studies and trials, researchers conclude that the DASH eating plan offers the following health benefits:

1. Lower blood pressure. Expect a few points drop in your blood pressure within a couple of weeks after starting with the diet. Expect more points to drop in your systolic blood pressure after a month or two. If you will make this eating plan a part of your lifestyle, you will experience its long-term effect maintaining a healthy level of blood pressure.

2. Reduce your risk of cancer. This is because the diet requires you to eat a lot of fresh or frozen vegetables and fruits.

3. Stronger bones. Aside from improving bone strength, youll also have a lower risk of suffering from osteoporosis. This is due to the high amounts of calcium you get from green leafy vegetables and dairy products.

4. Lower risk of suffering from gout. The eating plan reduces a persons uric acid levels.

5. Decrease in the LDL and total cholesterol in the blood. As a result, you will have regular blood pressure and youll also have a lower risk of suffering from cerebrovascular disease and metabolic disorders, including diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

This is not a deprivation diet. If you want to lose weight as you follow the eating plan, you have to be mindful of the portions of your meals. You must also make it a habit to exercise.

Getting Started

You need to commit to a lot of changes in your diet, especially if you are used to eating too much salty, fatty, and junk foods. Once you have set your mind in following the DASH diet plan, you can gradually commit to the changes. Start with one or two of the following dietary changes until your system has gotten used to the plan:

• If you aren't fond of vegetables, make an effort to add an extra serving of veggies on your every meal.
• To make it easier for you to remember adding veggies to your dishes, you can prepare them ahead of time. Wash and cut them before putting in a clean container. Place in the fridge until ready to use. You can easily put the prepared veggies on sauces, soups, stir-fried dishes or casseroles.
• Try to consume more grains, veggies, and legumes than meat. You can try tweaking meat recipes by adding more of these ingredients than meat.
• Whole grain products are rich in fiber. Choose this kind whenever necessary because whole grains can make you feel full at a faster rate.
• In filling your plate, make sure that you have larger portions of whole grain products and vegetables than fish, poultry or meat.
• Stock up on low-fat milk. You can add it to soups and cooked cereals. You can also drink it as a substitute for sweetened drinks. It is also necessary to include this kind of milk with meals.
• Avoid eating processed foods. Do not add more than the required amount of salt when cooking. Keep the salt shaker out of reach when eating so that you won't be tempted to add more to your meals.
• Snack on fresh and dried fruits, a small piece of low-fat cheese or low-fat yogurt.

If you aren't used to eating too much fiber, make sure that you slowly add foods rich in fiber to your diet. You must also increase your water intake up to 10 cups per day as you increase your fiber intake. Too much fiber in the diet without supplying your system with enough fluids may result in constipation, diarrhea, cramping, bloating, and gas.

Vital Lifestyle Changes to Lower Blood Pressure

A person's blood pressure is recorded as two numbers and measured in mm Hg or millimeters of mercury. The number on top is called the systolic blood pressure, which is your blood pressure when your heart is contracting or working. The number on the lower portion is called the diastolic blood pressure. It is the blood pressure measurement when your heart is in a relaxed state.