Medical Research on Diet :The Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) study published in Medical Journal the New England Journal of Medicine showed that eight weeks of a diet of fruits, vegetables, low-fat dairy products, whole grains, poultry, fish, and nuts, with limited fats, red meat, and sweets, reduced systolic pressure(the top figure) by 11.4 mm Hg and diastolic pressure(the bottom figure) by 5.5 mm Hg. With sodium intake at a level below 100 mmol per day, systolic pressure was 3 mm Hg lower and diastolic pressure was 1.6 mm Hg lower than with the DASH diet and a higher level of sodium intake. The DASH diet below is based on a 2,000-calorie-a-day meal plan.

* Check with your healthcare practitioner before starting an exercise program.

** When choosing oils, select heart-healthy monounsaturated ones

Ref Appel LJ, Moore TJ, Obarzanek E, et al. A clinical trial of the effects of dietary patterns on blood pressure. N Engl J Med 1997;336:1117-1124

For more information there is a free downloadable booklet on the DASH diet at the following URL. You'll need to copy and paste it into te address bar of your browser, but you'll need to bookmark "Australian Health Network" and come back here later.

http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/public/heart/hbp/dash/new_dash.pdf

If you are serious about lowering Blood Pressure through diet, more information is available at

<a href=http://www.amazon.com/DASH-Diet-Action-Plan-Hypertension/dp/097634081X/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1205046297&sr=1-1">