Nutrition News & Views

June 6, 1999
Make the DASH to Better Health-June 1999/No. 3

That man walking down the street seems healthy enough. He's feeling great, too. But wait. Looks can be deceiving. What you can't see are his heart and his blood vessels. In fact, he may have high blood pressure, a potentially fatal condition. And no one knows it, not even him.

There are millions of Americans just like this man. In fact, a third of the 50 million people with high blood pressure have no idea that their hearts are dangerously overworked, trying to pump blood through narrowly constricted blood vessels.

"It's frightening that one out of four American adults has this illness and many don't even know it, said Pat Wallin, a registered dietitian with the Southeast United Dairy Industry Association (SUDIA). "But high blood pressure is not set in stone. You can do something about it. If your blood pressure is not high, you can take preventive steps now to keep it that way."

The Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension eating plan (DASH) is one way to help bring down the blood pressure points and keep them down. DASH, a Harvard-based study published in the New England Journal of Medicine, recommends people eat two to three servings of low-fat dairy and eight to 10 servings of fruits and vegetables daily. The diet was so effective that researchers found blood pressure was lowered even faster than by some medications.

In fact, a recent study showed the DASH plan was twice as effective for African Americans than for whites. An Archives of Internal Medicine study showed African Americans had a 13-point average reduction in their blood pressure, compared with a six-point decrease for whites. That result was the same response caused by medications, the study said. African Americans suffer from hypertension at higher rates than whites and also tend to get it earlier in life. Researchers aren't entirely sure why.

The DASH plan is closely related to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food Guide Pyramid, the government's guide to a healthy diet. In fact, new government guidelines include the DASH diet in the latest recommendations for preventing and treating high blood pressure. It is the first time these guidelines have included specific food recommendations. It's little wonder why. Americans may be facing a health crisis with their daily diet. The USDA estimates, on any given day, 46 percent of Americans don't eat any fruit and 21 percent don't eat any milk products.

High blood pressure can cause a heart attacks, which is the number one killer of Americans today. Stroke, also a result of high blood pressure, is the third leading cause of death.

"Experts don't know the cause of high blood pressure. But we know with fast food choices available everywhere and life becoming too rushed to think about food preparation, our nutrition health is becoming increasingly more endangered. Food is like the gas you put into your car. You need high-quality fuel to keep the engine running well. But if you put low-quality or watered down fuel into the car, you won't get as far and you might destroy your car. Same thing with your body. If you aren't eating healthfully, you can be prone to developing chronic diseases such as high blood pressure and heart disease," Wallin said.

Wallin offers the following tips to help make the DASH plan work for you.

  • Drink a glass of fat-free or low-fat milk with every meal. Stir in a spoonful of chocolate syrup or make a low-fat latte for a flavor change of pace.

  • Keep baby carrots, raisins, fresh fruit and celery on hand. That way, when you have a case of the munchies, you will be more likely to grab a healthy food instead of potato chips.

  • Start your day with whole grain cereal and fat-free or low-fat milk. When it's cold outside, enjoy a warming bowl of oatmeal or other hot cereal made with milk instead of water. Top with berries or sliced bananas.

  • Find ways to cook with fat-free or low-fat milk--especially dishes that include fruits or vegetables. Make a low-fat potato or broccoli soup with fat-free milk, or try a rice pudding with raisins or peaches.

  • Whip up a smoothie with low-fat or fat-free milk or yogurt, a frozen banana and sliced strawberries.

  • Make instant hot chocolate creamier by using low-fat or nonfat milk instead of water.

  • "Supersize" your glass of milk and salad to have two servings in one at dinner.

  • Try eating one piece of fruit with each meal and one for a snack. Have more than one vegetable at lunch and dinner. Remember, an easy way to get your eight to 10 servings is to "supersize" all your vegetable and fruit portions.

Source: Southeast United Dairy Industry Association. (SUDIA)
Distributed by: Barbara McLaurin, Ph.D., R.D., L.D., Human Nutrition Specialist, MSU Extension Service, June 1999

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