If you are one of the 65 million adults in this country with high blood pressure, it’s time to make a DASH to a new way of eating.

The DASH Study ("Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension") found that people who ate a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, fat-free or low-fat milk and milk products, whole grains, fish, poultry, beans, nuts and seeds significantly reduced their blood pressure. For people with hypertension, the DASH diet combined with low sodium intake lowered blood pressure as much as taking a blood pressure-lowering drug.

The American Heart Association recommends a maximum daily sodium intake of 2,300 milligrams. That’s the amount of sodium in 1 teaspoon of salt. Much of the sodium we consume is hidden in prepared and processed foods like luncheon meats, canned soups and frozen dinners.

Eating less sodium might be easier than you think. Today’s marinara sauce recipe calls for no-added salt whole tomatoes as a way to reduce the sodium. Depending on the brand, two 28-ounce cans of whole tomatoes could add more than 3,000 milligrams of sodium to our recipe. Using no-added salt tomatoes will add about 200 milligrams of sodium—a huge sodium savings.

HEART SMART is a registered trademark. For questions, call Darlene Zimmerman at 313-972-1920.

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By DARLENE ZIMMERMAN
Henry Ford Hospital