High blood pressure is a major health concern, and it can often be mitigated by limiting the amount of salt in your diet. The NIH's DASH Eating Plan can help those at risk for high blood pressure to stay on track with a low-sodium diet.
The DASH Eating Plan stands for Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension, the formal name for high blood pressure. DASH recommends limiting your sodium intake to 1,500 milligrams per day, because this is the adequate intake level determined to lower blood pressure.
In order to follow the DASH Eating Plan, you must eat a certain number of servings per day from all of the food groups. For example, DASH advises that followers consume 6 – 8 servings of whole grains per day, like whole wheat pastas, breads or oatmeal. It also recommends 4 – 5 servings of fruits, 4 – 5 servings of vegetables, and only a limited amount of sweets and sugars. DASH also encourages people to exercise for 30 minutes per day to produce faster results.
DASH Eating Plan [National Institutes of Health]
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