Lower your blood pressure naturally in 1 week with our sample DASH diet menu. Here at Qardio, we love the DASH Diet! The acronym stands for ”Dietary Approach to Stop Hypertension”, and it’s a tasty approach to healthy eating that’s specifically designed to prevent and treat high blood pressure.
Reduce your blood pressure
Rather than encouraging faddy eating, tiny portions, or impossible juice fasts, the DASH diet encourages you to be smarter about food. You fill up on whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and low-fat dairy products while minimizing red meat, sugary goods, fats, and sodium. This way, you naturally reduce the amount of saturated fat and cholesterol you’re consuming and start eating more foods rich in potassium, calcium, and magnesium – the nutrients which help to reduce your blood pressure.
7-day menu
We’ve put together a simple, no-fuss 7-day menu to get you eating the DASH way, so you can enjoy all the delicious foods you like while lowering your blood pressure at the same time. Measure your blood pressure the day before you start and then again one week later. You’ll be surprised by the difference!
Day 1
Breakfast – Apple Spiced Baked Oatmeal
Lunch – Roasted Parsnip Soup
Dinner – Mediterranean Lemon Chicken And Rosemary Potatoes
Tip: Removing the skin from your chicken helps to cut the fat content of the Mediterranean lemon chicken – and with all the lemon and herbs, it’s still delicious!
Day 2
Breakfast – Banana Nut Pancakes
Lunch – Grilled Chicken Salad With Olives And Oranges
Dinner – Poached Salmon And Mustard-Dill Sauce
Tip: Starting the day with a healthy, wholewheat pancake recipe helps to keep you full during the day and reduce snacking.
Day 3
Breakfast – Spinach, Mushroom And Feta Cheese Scramble
Lunch – Southwestern Style Rice Bowl
Dinner – Asian Beef And Noodles
Tip: Spinach is a heart-healthy superfood that is said to lower homocysteine levels, an amino acid – high levels of homocysteine are associated with heart disease.
Day 4
Breakfast – Egg And Tomato Breakfast Melts
Lunch – Salmon Salad Pitta
Dinner – Wild Rice Stuffed Tomatoes
Tip: Salmon is super rich in omega-3 fatty acids and is proven to effectively reduce blood pressure – two servings a week can cut your risk of heart disease by up to one-third.
Day 5
Breakfast – Breakfast Bread Pudding
Lunch – Apple-Swiss Panini
Dinner – Grilled Pesto Shrimp Skewers
Tip: Always aim to make the dairy you consume low-fat or fat-free to reduce the amount of total saturated fat.
Day 6
Breakfast – Wholewheat Pumpkin Pancakes
Lunch – Southwestern Black Bean Cakes With Guacamole
Dinner – Sesame-Honey Chicken And Quinoa Bowl
Tip: The DASH diet encourages you to base your meals around filling foods, so black beans and quinoa are a perfect combination. Healthy, nutritious, and keep you fuller for longer.
Day 7
Breakfast – Turkey, Sausage And Mushroom Strata
Lunch – Spinach, Mushroom And Mozzarella Wraps
Dinner – Tex-Mex Loaded Baked Sweet Potatoes
Tip: Lean meats like turkey are ideal when you’re following the DASH diet – just remember that your daily goal is 6 ounces or less per day, so keep your portions small.
So there you have it – a week on the DASH diet, and your first step to lowering your blood pressure the natural way. Share your DASH diet experience with us on Facebook or Twitter.
Source:
American Heart Association
