Your arteries are highways that your heart uses to help get blood to the entire body. On the other hand, blood pressure is the force of blood that is hitting your arteries while it is traveling throughout the body. When this pressure is too high, it is called hypertension or high blood pressure. Blood pressure is represented by two different sets of numbers. The top number represents when the heart is pumping, and the bottom number represents when the heart is relaxed. Problems start to develop in the body when blood pressure is above the normal range. A main concern of high blood pressure is having the heart work too hard because it will lead to the development of other conditions such as heart attacks and plaque buildup. Luckily, managing high blood pressure is achievable through a few lifestyle changes. These changes can be achieved by following a DASH eating plan, which includes reducing sodium intake, increasing potassium intake, eating leaner cuts of protein, eating more fruits and vegetables, limiting saturated fats and sugary drinks, and limiting alcohol intake.

DASH eating plan: stands for Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension. This eating plan is rich in potassium and low in sodium. By making your plate colorful with fruits and vegetables (which also happen to be excellent sources of potassium), limiting saturated fats that are found in foods like whole fat dairy and fatty meats, reducing consumption of processed food like sweets and chips, and limiting sugar sweetened beverages will help make this diet a lifestyle. Here are some DASH-friendly recipes you can incorporate into your daily meals!

Take a look at Sodium: reducing sodium can help lower blood pressure. Choose foods that provide less than 5% of the daily value (DV) for sodium and avoid foods that provide 20% or more of the daily value (daily value is highlighted in red, sodium is highlighted in yellow on the food label photo). The recommended amount per day is 2300 milligrams of sodium, which equals 1 teaspoon of salt.

Examples of high-sodium foods to limit: some canned foods, chips, and lunch meat.

Examples of low sodium foods to choose:  fresh fruits and vegetables and canned goods that are labeled “low sodium”.

Potassium: helps balance sodium in the body. By simply adding one food item high in potassium to each meal, you can help lower your blood pressure. Aim for 3500-4000 milligrams daily to lower blood pressure. (Potassium on a food label is highlighted in green.)

• 1 baked potato with skin contains 941 mg,

• avocado has 364mg per ½ cup,

• spinach has 219mg per ½ cup,

• pinto beans have 373mg per ½ cup,

• 1 cup of nonfat yogurt has 579 mg,

• 1 pouch of tuna has 471mg.