Psychodynamic therapy works best with those who are curious to learn
more about themselves and their inner thoughts. more...
OTHER TOPICS
High blood pressure Rx
Exercise and nutrition
Vitamin supplements
|
|
Good Health to Diet For: Blood Pressure and Nutrition
Following the Dash Diet
The DASH eating plan shown below is based on 2,000 calories a day. The number of daily servings
in a food group may vary from those listed depending on your
caloric needs.
Use this chart to help you plan your menus or take it with you when you go to the store.
| Food Group |
Daily Servings
(except as noted) |
Serving Sizes |
Examples
and Notes |
Significance of Each Food Group to DASH Eating Plan |
| Grains & grain products |
7-8 |
1 slice bread
1 cup dry cereal*
1/2 cup cooked rice, pasta, cereal |
whole wheat bread, English muffin, pita bread, bagel, cereals, grits, oatmeal, crackers, unsalted pretzels and popcorn |
major sources of energy and fiber |
| Vegetables |
4-5 |
1 cup raw leafy vegetable
1/2 cup cooked vegetable
6 oz vegetable juice |
tomatoes, potatoes, carrots, green peas, squash, broccoli, turnip greens, collards, kale, spinach, artichokes, green beans, lima beans, sweet potatoes |
rich sources of potassium, magnesium, and fiber |
| Fruits |
4-5 |
6 oz fruit juice
1 medium fruit
1/4 cup dried fruit
1/2 cup fresh, frozen or canned fruit |
apricots, bananas, dates, grapes, oranges, orange juice, grapefruit, grapefruit juice, mangoes, melons, peaches, pineapples, prunes, raisins, strawberries, tangerines |
important sources of potassium, magnesium, and fiber |
| Lowfat or fat free dairy foods |
2 or less |
3 oz cooked meats, poultry, or fish |
select only lean; trim away visible fats; broil, roast, or oil, instead of frying; remove skin from poultry |
rich sources of protein and magnesium |
| Nuts, seeds, and dry beans |
4-5 per week |
1/3 cup or 1 1/2 oz nuts
2 Tbsp or 1/2 oz seeds
1/2 cup cooked dry beans |
almonds, filberts, mixed nuts, peanuts, walnuts, sunflower seeds, kidney beans, lentils and peas |
rich sources of energy, magnesium, potassium, protein, and fiber |
| Fats & oils** |
2-3 |
1 tsp soft margarine
1 Tbsp lowfat mayonnaise
2 Tbsp light salad dressing
1 tsp vegetable oil |
soft margarine, lowfat mayonnaise, light salad dressing, vegetable oil (such as olive, corn, canola or safflower) |
besides fats added to foods, remember to choose foods that contain less fat |
| Sweets |
5 per week |
1 Tbsp sugar
1 Tbsp jelly or jam
1/2 oz jelly beans
8 oz lemonade |
maple syrup, sugar, jelly, jam, fruit-flavored gelatin, jelly beans, hard candy, fruit punch, sorbet, ices |
sweets should be low in fat |
* serving sizes vary between 1/2-11/4 cups. Check the product's nutrition label.
** fat content changes serving counts for fats and oils: For example, 1 Tbsp of regular salad dressing equals 1 serving; 1 Tbsp of lowfat dressing equals 1/2 serving; 1 Tbsp of a fat free dressing equals 0 servings.
Reprinted from NHLBI, NIH Publication no. 98-4082; Sept 1998. |
Getting Started
It's easy to adopt the DASH eating diet. Here are some ways to get started:
Change gradually.
- If you now eat one or two vegetables a day, add a serving at lunch and another at dinner.
- If you don't eat fruit now or have only juice at breakfast, add a serving to your meals or have it as a snack.
- Use only half the butter, margarine, or salad dressing you do now.
- Try lowfat or fat free condiments, such as fat free salad dressings.
- Gradually increase dairy products to three servings per day. For example, drink milk with lunch or dinner, instead of soda, alcohol, or sugar-sweetened tea. Choose lowfat (1 percent) or fat free (skim) dairy products to reduce total fat intake.
Treat meat as one part of the whole meal, instead of the focus.
- Buy less meat. If it's not there, you won't eat it.
- Limit meat to 6 ounces a day (two servings) -- all that's needed. Three to four ounces is about the size of a deck of cards.
- If you now eat large portions of meat, cut them back gradually -- a half or a third at each meal.
- Include two or more vegetarian-style (meatless) meals each week.
- Increase servings of vegetables, rice, pasta, and dry beans in meals. Try casseroles and pasta, and stir-fry dishes, having less meat and more vegetables, grains, and dry beans.
Use fruits or lowfat foods as desserts and snacks.
- Fruits and lowfat foods offer great taste and variety. Use fruits canned in their own juice. Fresh fruits require little or no preparation. Dried fruits are easy to carry with you.
- Try these snack ideas: unsalted pretzels or nuts mixed with raisins; graham crackers; lowfat and fat free yogurt and frozen yogurt; plain popcorn with no salt or butter added; and raw vegetables.
Sample Menus from the DASH Diet
Here are two sample menus from the DASH eating plan. The menus are based on 2,000 calories a day --
serving sizes should be increased or decreased for other caloric levels. Also, to ease the calculations, some of the serving sizes have been rounded off.
DAY 1
| FOOD |
AMOUNT |
SERVINGS PROVIDED |
| |
|
Grains |
Vegetables |
Fruits |
Dairy foods |
Meat, poultry,
& fish |
Nuts, seeds,
& dry beans |
Fats and oils |
Sweets |
| Breakfast |
| apple juice |
1 cup |
|
|
11/2 |
|
|
|
|
|
| bran cereal; ready-to-eat |
2/3 cup |
1 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| raisins |
2 Tbsp |
|
|
1/2 |
|
|
|
|
|
| fat free milk |
1 cup |
|
|
|
1 |
|
|
|
|
| whole wheat bread |
1 slice |
1 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| soft margarine |
11/2 tsp |
|
|
|
|
|
|
11/2 |
|
| Lunch |
| chicken sandwich: |
|
| chicken breast, no skin |
3 oz |
|
|
|
|
1 |
|
|
|
| American cheese, reduced fat |
2 slices (11/2 oz) |
|
|
|
1 |
|
|
|
|
| loose leaf lettuce |
2 large leaves |
|
1/2 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| tomato |
2 slices (1/4" thick) |
|
1/2 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| light mayonnaise |
1 Tbsp |
|
|
|
|
|
|
1 |
|
| whole wheat bread |
2 slices |
2 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| apple |
1 medium |
|
|
1 |
|
|
|
|
|
| Dinner |
| vegetarian spaghetti sauce |
3/4 cup |
|
11/2 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| spaghetti |
1 cup |
2 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Parmesan cheese |
4 Tbsp |
|
|
|
1 |
|
|
|
|
| green beans |
1/2 cup |
|
1 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| spinach salad: |
|
| spinach, raw |
1 cup |
|
1 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| mushrooms, raw |
1/4 cup |
|
1/4 cup |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| croutons |
2 Tbsp |
1/4 cup |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Italian dressing, lowfat |
2 Tbsp |
|
|
|
|
|
|
1 |
|
| dinner roll |
1 medium |
1 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| frozen yogurt, lowfat |
1/2 cup |
|
|
|
1/2 |
|
|
|
|
| Snack |
| orange juice |
1 cup |
|
|
11/2 |
|
|
|
|
|
| banana |
1 large |
|
|
11/2 |
|
|
|
|
|
| TOTALS |
71/4 |
43/4 |
6 |
31/2 |
1 |
0 |
31/2 |
0 |
| Per Day: |
| Calories |
1,995 mg |
Magnesium |
458 mg |
| Total Fat |
50 gm |
Potassium |
4,254 mg |
| Saturated Fat |
15 gm |
Calcium |
1,384 mg |
| Cholesterol |
124 mg |
Sodium |
3,127 mg |
DAY 2
| FOOD |
AMOUNT |
SERVINGS PROVIDED |
| |
|
Grains |
Vegetables |
Fruits |
Dairy foods |
Meat, poultry,
& fish |
Nuts, seeds,
& dry beans |
Fats and oils |
Sweets |
| Breakfast |
| orange juice |
1 cup |
|
|
11/2 |
|
|
|
|
|
| yogurt, fat free |
1 cup |
|
|
|
1 |
|
|
|
|
| fruit granola bars, lowfat |
2 |
2 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| fat free milk |
1 cup |
|
|
|
1 |
|
|
|
|
| banana |
1 small |
|
|
1/2 |
|
|
|
|
|
| Lunch |
| turkey sandwich: |
|
| turkey breast |
3 oz |
|
|
|
|
1 |
|
|
|
| loose leaf lettuce |
1 leaf |
|
1/4 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| tomato |
2 slices (1/4" thick) |
|
1/2 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| light mayonnaise |
1 Tbsp |
|
|
|
|
|
|
1 |
|
| whole wheat bread |
2 slices |
2 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| carrots |
7 sticks |
|
1/4 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| orange, fresh |
1 medium |
|
|
1 |
|
|
|
|
|
| Dinner |
| spicy baked fish |
3 oz |
|
|
|
|
1 |
|
|
|
| brown rice |
1 cup |
2 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| spinach, cooked |
1 cup |
|
2 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| zucchini, cooked |
1/2 cup |
|
1 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| dinner roll |
1 medium |
1 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| soft margarine |
2 tsp |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
2 |
| fat free milk |
1/2 cup |
|
|
|
1/2 |
|
|
|
|
| melon balls |
1 cup |
|
|
2 |
|
|
|
|
|
| Snacks |
| peanuts |
1/4 cup (1 oz) |
|
|
|
|
|
3/4 |
|
|
| apricots, dried |
1/3 cup (11/2 oz) |
|
|
11/2 |
|
|
|
|
|
| TOTALS |
7 |
4 |
61/2 |
21/2 |
2 |
3/4 |
33/4 |
0 |
| Per Day: |
| Calories |
2,028 mg |
Magnesium |
575 mg |
| Total Fat |
51 gm |
Potassium |
5,265 mg |
| Saturated Fat |
9 gm |
Calcium |
1,364 mg |
| Cholesterol |
115 mg |
Sodium |
2,411 mg |
References
1. Appel L., Moore T., Obarzanek E., et al. A clinical trial of the effects of dietary patterns on blood pressure.
New England Journal of Medicine. 1997; 336:1117-1124. return |
