Healthy Eating and your Blood Pressure

Why is it important to have a healthy diet? A lot of research has been done on this subject of healthy eating.

Much of the research has gone into exploring the connection between healthy eating and a decreased risk for diseases. The results continue to pour in that one of the best things you can do for your health is to eat right.

For example, research has shown that eating a healthy diet can reduce the risk of developing high blood pressure and that a change towards healthy eating can also lower your blood pressure.

One diet that has been studied is the "DASH" eating plan. DASH stands for "Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension". A study tested the effects that certain food had on blood pressure and the results were that elevated blood pressure can be reduced when individuals follow an eating plan that puts an importance on fruits, vegetables, and low fat dairy foods and that also is low in saturated fat, total fat, and cholesterol.

The particular eating plan known as DASH includes whole grains, poultry, fish, and nuts. The plan has reduced amounts of sugared beverages, sweets, red meats, and also fats.

Participants in the DASH eating plan noticed a reduction in their blood pressure as soon as 2 weeks after starting the DASH plan. Individuals with prehypertension as well as those with high blood pressure saw improvements in their blood pressure readings.

Are these DASH studies reliable? I believe so. They were sponsored by the NHLBI and conducted by four medical centers. The studies were coordinated at Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Research in Portland, OR. There is no doubt, in my experience, that the more we eat whole foods, the healthier are bodies are.

Following the DASH eating plan can not only lower your blood pressure, but when you combine the plan with other lifestyle changes like losing weight, getting regular exercise and cutting down on alcohol consumption, it can help prevent the development of high blood pressure too.

Those who follow the DASH eating plan also received another benefit: the eating plan can lower the bad cholesterol (LDL) in your system. This, when combined with its lowering of blood pressure effects, can reduce your risk for heart disease.

A PDF report about the DASH plan from the NHLBI can be found HERE!

For more ways to lower your blood pressure naturally, visit: Blood Pressure Truth.