Weight Loss and Blood Pressure
- Dietitian.Lauren Hmede
- Aug 3, 2019
- 3 min read
3 Steps to Improve Weight Loss and Blood Pressure:
If you're ready to lower your blood pressure and lose weight then it's time to start the DASH diet. If you're like many dieters, however, you may feel confused by all of the DASH diet food recommendations and guidelines. So it's smart to break the program down into three small steps.
Reduce your sodium intake
Eat DASH foods
Follow research-based nutrient guidelines
Of course, you can try to tackle the entire DASH program all at once, but if you get overwhelmed, you're more likely to quit. Instead, try to master one step at a time to create lifelong eating habits for better health.
Step 1: Reduce Salt Intake:
Dieters who start the DASH eating plan need to choose a sodium intake of either 2300 mg per day or 1500 mg per day.
Your doctor may have a recommendation for the level that is best for you.
Once you know how much sodium to consume, start to reduce the amount of sodium in your diet. You can do this in two different ways:
Use less salt.
Table salt is a combination of sodium and chloride.
When you add salt to your food, you increase the amount of sodium that you eat.
Eat less salt to reduce your sodium intake and stick to the DASH diet.
Read food labels.
Packaged foods often contain high levels of sodium.
Read the Nutrition Facts label on each food that you eat and try to choose foods with less sodium.
You'll see the sodium grams listed near the bottom of the label.
Once you feel comfortable monitoring your sodium intake, then start eat DASH diet foods to lose weight and reduce your blood pressure.
Step 2: Consume DASH Diet Foods:
After you reduce the sodium in your diet, then fill your cupboard with DASH diet foods. DASH diet foods are naturally lower in sodium. These healthy foods are also lower in saturated fat and trans-fat.
To lower your blood pressure and lose weight on the DASH diet, you should eat:
Grains (6-8 servings per day)
Helathy whole grains help you to feel full so that you eat less and lose weight. Whole grain foods include oatmeal, whole grain cereal or pasta or brown rice.
Vegetables:(4-5 servings per day) Veggies are naturally low in calories and provide your body with important vitamins and minerals. Many fresh vegetables are also high in fiber.
Fruit: (4-5 servings per day)
Fresh fruit is a great way to satisfy your sweet tooth without adding too many calories to your daily diet.
Add nutrient-rich berries to your whole grain cereal or carry an apple or banana with you to eat as a snack.
Low-fat dairy: (2-3 servings per day)
Choose low fat or fat-free milk products while you're on the DASH diet.
A cup of skim milk is a single serving of dairy.
Lean meat,fish or poultry (6 servings or less per day)
Protein is an important part of the DASH eating plan.
Lean meats like chicken provide a healthy dose of protein.
But keep in mind that a single serving of meat or poultry is just 3 ounces.
DASH dieters can also get protein from eggs, fish or lean meat.
Nuts, legumes, seeds (4-5 serving per week)
Nuts, like almonds or walnuts, can make a great snack.
But some processed nut and seed products are high in salt.
So choose these snacks wisely and eat just a single serving at snacktime.
Fats and oils: (2-3 servings per day)
A single serving of fat is just a single tablespoon of oil or margarine or 2 tablespoons of salad dressing.
Smart DASH dieters measure their fats to make sure that they are not eating too much.
Sweets and sugars (less than 5 per week)
If you add sugar to your coffee or jam to your toast, these count as sugars on the DASH diet.
Try to reduce the sugar in your diet when you're on the DASH diet.
Step 3: Manage Nutrient Balance:
Total fat: 27%
Sarurated fat: 6%
Protein: 18%
Carbs: 55%
Cholesterol: 150 mg
Sodium: 2300 mg
Potassium: 4,700 mg
Fiber: 30g
Magnesium: 500 mg
Calcium: 1,250 mg
Conclusion:
Remember that the DASH diet is a long-term plan to lower your blood pressure and lose weight. It's not a quick diet or fast weight loss plan. Invest as much time as you need to learn about DASH foods and guidelines to improve your health for the long term.
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