DASH Diet (for High Blood Pressure) - your experience please

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askeates
askeates Posts: 1,490 Member
in Food and Nutrition
So recently I found out I went from having low blood pressure to having high blood pressure.... I really do not like being on medicine, but of course the Dr said lets give meds a try, so I did and ended up in the ER from a reaction to the meds.

So I have been doing some research today to see if there is something other than meds that could help.... Have any of you with high blood pressure used the DASH diet? I've been looking at meal plans and it just seems like sooooooooooooooooo much food!

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  • cosmichvoyager
    cosmichvoyager Posts: 237 Member
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    I've found that the biggest help in lowering high blood pressure has been exercising and eating less processed foods/msg/cured meats, etc. I went from having high blood pressure to healthy normal blood pressure in 6 months without medication--just diet and exercise. I also quit smoking, which I think was probably very beneficial.

    I think DASH offers some good guidelines:
    -less salt ( I LOVE salty stuff but I try to not be eating like...bacon at breakfast, chinese for lunch, pickles and olives snack and then salty cheese with dinner. I still salt my food, eat the things I love, just not all the time all at once)
    -more fruits and veggies
    -lower fat dairy like yogurt and hard cheeses
    -fiber
    -lean meats

    Dunno, I think just like...get the gist of it and take what you think you would like from it. Changing your diet can lead to lowered BP relatively fast. Mine was already a lot lower 3 months into changing how I eat.

    Oh, and HIIT style exercise helps too--like doing sprints on treadmill or elliptical, etc
  • RodaRose
    RodaRose Posts: 9,562 Member
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    The problem I have with the DASH is that it is low fat.
    Low carbs are more important.
    What the previous poster said is correct:
    Lower your weight and your blood pressure will go down.
    Learn deep breathing and other meditation practices.
  • askeates
    askeates Posts: 1,490 Member
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    Thank you both.... I already eliminated processed foods and am not much of a salt person. I'm going to work on adding at least 1 fruit and 1 veggie to each meal over what I already eat.
  • jasonmh630
    jasonmh630 Posts: 2,850 Member
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    I literally posted a topic about this a couple of weeks ago lol... My dad was put on this diet due to his high blood pressure. It's basically just a meal plan that allows you to reduce your sodium intake. He's been on it for about 4 weeks now and he already doesn't have as many headaches as he used to have. He just generally feels better all around. His doctor told him to take the salt shakers and put them in a closet so they're out of sight. She told him it's ok to salt food while it's cooking, but to not add any extra at the table. She told him a good alternative would be to get some of those Mrs. Dash brand seasonings, as they are usually salt/sodium free. He did that and he says he actually doesn't miss the salt.
  • dopeysmelly
    dopeysmelly Posts: 1,390 Member
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    DH basically cut out all take-outs, started going for a walk every day, cut way back on alcohol and dramatically increased the amount of potassium he eats. His blood pressure dropped considerably within a month. No drugs needed.

    There's another thread on here today about high-potassium foods, but it's basically lots of fresh vegetables and fruit.
  • ECfromSJ
    ECfromSJ Posts: 31 Member
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    I know the diet is well thought of, and it might help some people. But my experience was that my blood pressure did not go down, and I actually gained weight on it. I also thought it was very strange that the diet had me eating fewer dairy products than I had been--which didn't seem like a good idea, as I am concerned about preventing osteoporosis.

    I couldn't tolerate the first med my doctor put me on, either, but there are lots of choices. Please keep trying until you find one you can stand to take, while working to lose the weight. Both my mother and MIL had strokes. Believe me, you don't want to risk having one. That said, I'd like to at least reduce the dosage of what I take, and hope that losing weight and getting in better shape will do the trick like it has for other people.

    Good luck!
  • askeates
    askeates Posts: 1,490 Member
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    Well I know I do exactly the opposite of what the diet suggests.... I plan all of my sides around the meat. So I think this weekend I am going to spend some time looking up healthy veggie and fruit recipes and plan my meat around those things.

    Thank you all for your thoughts and experience.
  • Msvalsworld
    Msvalsworld Posts: 53 Member
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    I started the DASH diet today. My blood pressure has been high and I want to bring it down without medication.
  • sweetpickle281
    sweetpickle281 Posts: 1 Member
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    I follow the dash diet and have gotten my blood pressure down. I use Marla Hellers book, "the dash diet weight loss solution". She has a group on Facebook called New DASH Diet Group. I came on here looking for a group following the dash diet. You can usually check Marla's book out at the library.
  • innerhottie
    innerhottie Posts: 163 Member
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    Hi all... just started DASH today after a couple of years (on and off) of South Beach. I had my gallbladder out on November 20th and have had high blood pressure ever since. I was started on 5 mg of Lisinopril and will have to increase to 10 mg. starting tomorrow because it is still spiking to 160/101 at times. Hoping DASH helps and can't wait to get the all clear to get back to the gym. I am going to try to take a walk today to ease back in to exercise.

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