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Nearly one-third of American adults have high blood pressure - which they can help treat by watching what they eat. Hi, I'm Dr. Cindy Haines, host of HealthDay TV. In the new issue of the New England Journal of Medicine, experts discuss a patient with high blood pressure who's typical of many Americans. She's obese, gets little physical activity, and her diet contains a lot of processed meat and sugary and salty snacks, but few fruits and vegetables. The authors discuss how a healthy diet can help treat high blood pressure. They write that dietary changes are appropriate for everyone with high blood pressure, and even people with prehypertension should make these healthy changes. Their recommended steps include:
* Eating more poultry, fish, beans, and nuts instead of red meat
* Instead of full-fat dairy foods, choosing low-fat or nonfat options
* When choosing bread or pasta, picking those made from whole grains rather than white flour
* Cutting down on sugary snacks and desserts and eating more fruits and vegetables
* Eating whole fruit instead of drinking fruit juice
* Using olive, canola, and other polyunsaturated or monounsaturated cooking oils instead of butter
* And striving to limit sodium intake to no more than 1.5 grams per day
