YOU Docs Daily
Dash Diet for High Blood Pressure
Q. I have high blood pressure and was put on medication plus hydrochlorothiazide (HTZ). I started to lose potassium and had to come off the HTZ. Now I can’t get my blood pressure down. Any suggestions?
-- Pamilia
A. HTZ is a diuretic, or “water pill,” that’s a frontline treatment for lowering blood pressure. It works by triggering your kidneys to flush out excess water and salt, but potassium often gets flushed, too -- right down the toilet. Usually it's a mild deficiency that can be cured by eating potassium-rich foods and taking a supplement. But there’s a conundrum: a solid amount of potassium (plus calcium and magnesium) may be important for keeping your BP down.
There’s a great diet that’s swimming in these minerals and will lower not only your BP (8 to 14 points) but also your cholesterol and -- drum roll, please -- your heart attack risk (almost 20 percent). It’s called DASH, for Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension. On the menu:
- Six servings of whole grains
- Three to four vegetable servings
- Four fruit servings
- Two to three low- or no-fat dairy foods
- Three to six servings of lean poultry, fish, and meat
- Three servings of nuts, seeds, or beans
- Two servings of healthful monounsaturated fats, such as olive, flaxseed, and canola oils
That's a lot of food. Just try to slip in a bag of chips or a cruller! You won’t have room, so you'll likely lose weight. Particularly if you follow DASH’s parallel Rx: Do 30 minutes of moderate exercise a day (arise and walk!). Expect almost immediate gratification: DASH should start to nudge your numbers down in only 14 days. By the way, if that fails, there are many other medications that will get your BP down. It's important!
