May is National High Blood Pressure Education Month and American Stroke Month

Filed in archive Miscellany on May 4, 2007

Hypertension or high blood pressure is a major risk factor of heart disease and stroke- two leading cause of death - affecting more than 65 million Americans.

Still the message is clear, it is in what we eat, if only we'll listen and actually do it: eat low-fat dairy and of course eat more fruits and vegetables.

In lieu of this campaign and the month of May being both National High Blood Pressure Education Month and American Stroke Month, the Dairy Council of California's Meals Matter website features a DASH-friendly cookbook with 31 recipes (one for each day of the month) to naturally help lower the risk and severity of hypertension in adults.

The DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) plan has been proven in studies to substantially lower blood pressure in those with mild hypertension.

The plan includes three servings of low-fat or fat-free dairy per day, along with eight to ten daily servings of fruits and vegetables. This eating pattern is naturally low in saturated and total fat while being high in calcium, potassium and magnesium - nutrients associated with decreasing the risk of high blood pressure and stroke.

An example of the DASH-friendly the recipe is the Warm Berry Compote Over Vanilla Low-Fat Frozen Yogurt developed by Deborah Allen, registered dietitian and cooking/nutrition instructor with the California WellBeing Institute.

Find more details from the full report.