In the world full of weight loss diet, we have the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension, or the DASH diet, which is believed to help treat hypertension or high blood pressure. The DASH diet encourages you to reduce sodium intake in your diet and add more variety of foods rich in nutrients that help reduce blood pressure levels. Is this diet effective? What does it really preach? Does it compromise on what is called a 'balanced diet?' Let's find out.

What is DASH Diet?

Also known as Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension, this diet focuses on reducing your blood pressure levels and encourages healthy eating. It promotes eating less sodium and loading up on potassium, magnesium and calcium rich to regulate blood pressure. According to the Mayo Clinic, the DASH diet is a healthy way of eating; it offers health benefits just lowering blood pressure. The DASH diet is said to be in line with dietary recommendations to prevent osteoporosis, heart disease, stroke, diabetes and cancer.

DASH diet is altered according to the dietary needs of the person and the intensity of hypertension. Therefore, in addition to the standard DASH diet, which allows you to consume up to 2,300 milligram of sodium a day, there is a lower version of the diet. Here's what the two versions have to offer:
Standard DASH diet: One can consume up to 2,300 milligrams of sodium per day
Lower sodium DASH diet: One can consume up to 1,500 milligrams of sodium per day
Both the versions aim at reducing the amount of sodium, which further helps in reducing blood pressure levels and the risk of developing other cardiovascular diseases.
What does the DASH diet recommend eating?

This diet is plant-focused that is rich in vegetables, fruits and nuts along with low-fat and non-fat dairy products, which are great sources of healthy fats. Basically, the diet emphasises lowering sodium intake by eating whole foods over processed foods.

Does the DASH diet work?

The DASH diet outlines a generally healthy diet that anyone can benefit from. Its basic principle is to eat a nutrient rich yet not calorie-dense diet, which has shown to not only reduce blood pressure levels but also promote weight loss. The American Heart Association (AHA) also recommends this diet and according to it, "In addition to being easy to follow, delicious and varied, the DASH eating plan is proven effective." The AHA promotes eating and avoiding the following foods-

Aim to eat foods like:
-Fruits
-Vegetables
-Whole grains
-Low fat dairy products
-Nuts and legumes
-Non-tropical vegetable oils
-Skinless poultry and fish
-Saturated trans fat
-Sodium
-Red meat
-Sweet and sugar-sweetened beverages

Don't let high blood pressure scare you. It is not exactly a disease, but only a warning sign that the food you have been eating and the lifestyle you have been leading have clogged your blood vessels and your heart is having to exert extra pressure to keep blood moving through it.

Just as the bad lifestyle caused it, the good one can cure it. Medicines are only an aid. The main job has to be done by your food. So please go into your kitchen for treatment. Certain ingredients are excellent in opening up your arteries and those should be a regular part of your diet from now.

The most potent of them is beetroot juice. A glass of this should be a daily part of your intake. Treat this as your daily medicine. You might see a drop in your readings in as little as three hours. Beets are full of nitrates which cause blood vessels to expand. Besides reducing blood pressure, these eliminate toxins. Taking nitrate in natural form is a hundred times better than taking a nitrate tablet. Nitrites in foods like hot dogs gave you the disease; nitrates will cure it.
Those who happen to have kidney issues should mix it with carrot juice. Regular use may give a sharp colour to your urine. Don't be scared. That is completely harmless.

Please note that the results will not come in a day. It took you some 15 years to clog your arteries. Please give your system at least 15 months to undo the damage. Of course, medicines can show results in a matter of days but you have to account for side-effects also. So follow a two-pronged strategy. Let medicines do the SOS job. The long-term cure will come only through dietary wisdom.

Another prescribed diet is blueberries, raspberries and strawberries. Natural compounds in them called anchocyanins are your insurance against hypertension. Eat them like crazy every day of your life. Fresh will be the best but the dried ones will also do. Besides, those are full of antioxidants.

I know it will not make you very popular with friends but garlic too has to be added to your menu. The organosulphur compound allicin that it has reduces hypertension and is also antibacterial and anti fungal. The pungent clove is also very good for those with heart conditions.

Other good foods for those with blood pressure are bananas, dark chocolate (and I mean really dark, at least 85 percent), spinach, cabbage and coconut water. Plus spice up your food with rosemary, cumin seeds, cinnamon, basil, bay leaves, saffron, turmeric, ginger and black pepper.

But the best antidote for blood pressure is weight management. If you are on the plump side, you are almost sending a written invitation to blood pressure.

You probably know that high blood pressure, or hypertension, is a major risk factor for heart attack, stroke, vision problems, even dementia.

But did you know this? Hand-grip exercises - squeezing one of those V-shape devices with a resistance spring - can lower your blood pressure by about 10 percent.

That's one of the "15 Things You Better Know About Your Blood Pressure" that AARP reports in the June issue of its Bulletin publication and at aarp.org.

It cites a "landmark" paper published in 2013 in Hypertension, a journal of the American Heart Association, which said that while all exercise did good things for blood pressure, "some of the most impressive improvements" came after four weeks of hand-grip squeezing.

AARP suggests squeezing the gripper for two minutes at a time for a total of 12 to 15 minutes, three times a week. You can get one at a sporting goods store for about $10 or $20.

AARP is interested because blood pressure typically rises as we age, and two-thirds of Americans older than 60 are in the "high" zone (140/90 and up.) But about a third of people in their 30s and 40s have hypertension, too.

Some other items from AARP's list of things to know:

1) Some over-the-counter medications can raise blood pressure by several points. These include cold medicines that contain pseudoephedrine and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatories such as ibuprofen.

2) Deep breathing - slowing down to about six breaths in 30 seconds - can take three points off your systolic pressure. That's the top number in your blood pressure reading. It's the one to watch as you get older, because the bottom number, your diastolic pressure, peaks at about age 55 and gradually falls.

4) High blood pressure often has no symptoms. You probably knew that, too, but it's the kind of thing you forget because - well, because you have no symptoms. So get it checked.

Beetroot is known for its incredible vibrant colour and hence it is used in salads as well as many recipes. This awesome pinkish red colour comes from a pigment called betanin which is often extracted to create natural food colouring and dyes.

Here are some benefits of including beetroot in your diet:-

- It is rich in antioxidants: Antioxidants like betanin & polyphenols in beetroot reduce the oxidation of bad cholesterol, protect the artery walls and guard against #HeartDisease and #Stroke.

- It helps in detoxification: It detoxifies your body by pulling the toxins into the colon from where they can be evacuated. Beetroot juice might also stimulate red blood cell production and build #stamina.

- Folate, Fiber, Vitamin C and other minerals: Beetroot is a great source of fiber and minerals like iron, potassium and manganese which are essential for good health and in combination with other foods it can deliver a lot. #VitaminC boosts #immunity, #folate is essential for normal tissue growth and fiber helps in smooth #digestive functions. It is particularly high in #protein and #iron than most other roots & tubers.

- For Heart health: Studies have shown that the high content of nitrates in beetroot produces a gas called nitric oxide. This gas helps to relax and dilate your blood vessels which improves blood flow and lowers #BloodPressure.

- For Hair care: Beetroot is actually one of the best home remedies to fight the flakes and an itchy scalp. You can boil some beets in water and use the concentrated liquid to massage on the scalp. Alternatively, you can mix some beetroot juice, vinegar and ginger juice and apply to the scalp. Keep this for 20 mins and rinse.

- Low in fat & calories: Although it has a high sugar content, it is low in calories & almost fat free. Since it is loaded with fiber it makes you full on lower calories. This makes it a nutritious option for those looking to keep their weight down.

उच्च रक्तदाब साठी शारीरिक तपासणी :
उच्च रक्तदाबसाठी शारीरिक तपासणीमध्ये वैद्यकीय इतिहास देखील समाविष्ट आहे. शारीरिक तपासणीची मर्यादा आणि आपल्या डॉक्टरांच्या प्रश्नांची तपशीलांची संख्या आपल्या ब्लड प्रेशरचे प्रमाण किती आहे आणि हृदय रोगासाठी आपल्याकडे इतर जोखीम घटक आहेत यावर अवलंबून असतात. ज्या लोकांकडे बर्याच जोखीम घटक आहेत त्यांच्याकडे अधिक तपशीलवार मूल्यांकन असू शकते.

शारीरिक परीक्षा आणि वैद्यकीय इतिहासामध्ये खालील समाविष्ट आहे :
- आपला वैद्यकीय इतिहास, धोक्या किंवा उच्च रक्तदाबचा कौटुंबिक इतिहास यांसारख्या जोखीम घटकांचे मूल्यांकन करणे.
- दोन किंवा अधिक रक्तदाब मोजमाप. मापन हे दोन्ही डाव्या आणि उजव्या हात आणि पायांमधून घेतले जाऊ शकते आणि ते एका ठिकाणी, जसे की झोपायच्या, उभे राहणे किंवा बसणे यासारखे असू शकते. एकाधिक मोजमाप घेतले जाऊ शकते आणि सरासरी केले जाऊ शकते.
- आपले वजन, उंची आणि कमर मापन.
- डोळ्याच्या मागच्या बाजूस रेतीना, प्रकाश-संवेदनशील आवरण.

हृदयाची परीक्षा :
- आपल्या पायांची चाचणी फ्लुइड बिल्डअप (एडीमा), आणि गर्दन समेत अनेक भागात नाडी.
- स्टेथोस्कोप वापरून आपल्या ओटीपोटाची परीक्षा. ओटीपोटात रक्तवाहिन्या असामान्य आवाज ऐकण्यासाठी डॉक्टर ऐकेल. हे आवाज ओटीपोटात (पेटीच्या ब्रूट्स) एक संकीर्ण धमनीतून रक्त प्रवाहमुळे होऊ शकतात.
- वाढलेल्या थायरॉईड, गर्भाशयाच्या मानेतील नसा आणि कॅरोटीड धमन्यांमध्ये ब्रीट्ससाठी आपल्या मानांची परीक्षा.

उच्च रक्तदाब साठी शारीरिक तपासणी केले जातात :
- उच्च रक्तदाब असू शकतो किंवा नाही हे पाहण्यासाठी तपासा.
- मूत्रपिंड आणि हृदय सारख्या अवयवांवर उच्च रक्तदाब प्रभाव पडताळून पहा.
- हृदय रोग किंवा स्ट्रोकसाठी आपल्याकडे जोखीम घटक आहेत किंवा नाही हे निर्धारित करा.
- उच्च रक्तदाब (दुय्यम हाय ब्लड प्रेशर), जसे की औषधे किंवा इतर वैद्यकीय परिस्थितीचे इतर कारणे.

तुमच ब्लड प्रेशर खरोखर उच्च आहे याची खात्री करुन घ्या :
आपले रक्तदाब मोजल्यानंतर आपले डॉक्टर आपल्याला घरी परत तपासण्यासाठी विचारू शकतात. पायफूट 2, तळटीप 1 याचे कारण म्हणजे आपले रक्तदाब दिवसभर बदलू शकतो. आणि कधीकधी रक्तदाब जास्त असतो कारण आपण डॉक्टर पहात आहात. याला पांढर्या कोटाचे उच्च रक्तदाब म्हटले जाते. उच्च रक्तदाब निदान करण्यासाठी, दिवसात आपले रक्तदाब जास्त आहे की नाही हे डॉक्टरला माहित असणे आवश्यक आहे.

म्हणूनच आपले डॉक्टर आपल्या घराच्या रक्तदाबवर लक्ष ठेवण्यासाठी विचारू शकतात जेणेकरून ते खरोखर उच्च असेल याची खात्री करा. आपल्याला अॅब्युलेटरी ब्लड प्रेशर मॉनिटर किंवा होम ब्लड प्रेशर मॉनिटर मिळू शकेल. हे उपकरण आपल्या ब्लड प्रेशरला दिवसात बर्याच वेळा मोजतात.

इतर परिणाम :
उच्च रक्तदाब तुमच्या रक्तवाहिन्या, हृदया किंवा डोळ्यांकडे नुकसानास कारणीभूत ठरला असेल तर तुमच्या डॉक्टरांनी अशी चिन्हे तपासली असतील. आपला डॉक्टर कदाचित हे तपासू शकेल :
- हृदयाच्या वाढीमुळे अतिरिक्त हृदयाच्या आवाज.
- जेव्हा स्टेथोस्कोप वापरून डॉक्टर पोटातील रक्तवाहिन्या ऐकतो तेव्हा असामान्य आवाज. हे आवाज ओटीपोटात (पेटीच्या ब्रुईट्स) संकीर्ण धमनीतून किंवा मूत्रपिंड (गुर्दे धमनी स्टेनोसिस) किंवा रक्तवाहिन्यांमधून रक्तवाहिन्यांच्या अस्थिर हालचालीमुळे अरुंद धमन्याद्वारे रक्त प्रवाह द्वारे होऊ शकते, मुख्य धमनी ज्यामधून रक्त वाहते शरीराच्या उर्वरित हृदय.
हात व पाय यांचे रक्तवाहिन्यामध्ये रक्त प्रवाह (बruit) असामान्य आवाज किंवा कमी झालेला किंवा अनुपस्थित रक्त प्रवाह (डाळी).
- उदर किंवा पाय (एडेमा) मधील द्रवपदार्थाचा असामान्य बांधकाम.
- डोळ्याच्या मागे असलेल्या रक्तवाहिन्यांच्या असामान्यता.