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Shop Smart and Cook Healthy to Manage Your Blood Pressure
You can make changes to the ingredients in your dishes and how you prepare your meals to help lower your blood pressure. However, exercise and/or medication may still be needed to help you reach and maintain your blood pressure goal.
Get information about:
DIETARY CHANGES THAT CAN HELP LOWER YOUR BLOOD PRESSURE
Good food choices:
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Fruits like apples are rich in fiber |
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Raw, leafy vegetables |
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Low-fat dairy products |
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Whole-grain breads and pastas |
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Foods without added sugar (baked goods, sodas) |
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SHOPPING FOR FOOD
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Purchase cooking oils like olive oil, peanut oil and canola oil. They are high in monosaturated fats, which can help lower your risk of heart disease. |
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Look for low-fat or fat-free salad dressings, mayonnaise and other condiments. |
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Look for condiments like ketchup or steak sauces without added sugar or corn syrup. |
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Keep a wide selection of low-sodium spices and herbs in your kitchen to sprinkle on your food instead of salt (sodium). |
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Look for low-sodium products to replace their high-sodium counterparts. Soups, soy sauce and teriyaki sauce are all examples of food choices that often come in low-sodium versions. |
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Choose low-fat or fat-free dairy products. |
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Avoid canned or processed meats like bacon or packaged ham—these usually contain added salt (sodium). |
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Avoid pickles, olives and other foods that are packed in jars of brine. |
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Stock up on fruits and skip snacks that are high in salt (sodium). |
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COOKING YOUR MEALS
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Make changes to your eating and cooking habits gradually so you don't feel deprived and give up eating healthier. |
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Cut the amount of salt (sodium) from recipes by one-half (or more). |
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Add spices and herbs to your recipes as substitutes for salt (sodium). |
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Use spray oils on pots and pans rather than pouring oils directly from bottles. |
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Pour oil on a paper towel, then wipe it over a pan so you can control how much oil you're adding. |
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Instead of using sugar to sweeten cakes or breads, try using applesauce, apple butter or other natural fruit spreads. |
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Instead of using cooking oils to keep cakes or breads moist, substitute plain, low-fat yogurt. |
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Marinate steaks, burgers, chicken and fish in low-salt (low-sodium) marinades, so they'll have lots of flavor before you cook them. Then you won't have to add sauces or seasonings afterward. |
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Use non-stick cookware and bakeware to help cut down on your need for greasing pans with butter and oils. |
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THE DASH EATING PLAN
The government's Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) eating plan has lots of helpful tips for shopping and cooking your foods.
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