August 7, 2003

Prairie Fare: Does Your Blood Pressure Still Fall in the ‘Normal’ Range?

By Julie Garden-Robinson, Food and Nutrition Specialist
NDSU Extension Service

Do you know your blood pressure numbers? New blood pressure guidelines have been released by a group of federal agencies and health-promoting organizations for the first time since 1997.

The cut-off numbers for "normal" are now lower, and a new category, "prehypertension," has been introduced.

Previously, "normal" blood pressure was considered less than 140 over 90. Now, "normal" blood pressure is 120 over 80 or lower. Blood pressure that falls between 120/80 and 139/89 is termed "prehypertension." A blood pressure of 140/90 or higher is termed "hypertension", the same as in previous guidelines.

If you don’t know your blood pressure, it’s a good idea to get checked. Many experts suggest that blood pressure be checked two times during a doctor’s visit. Patients should sit quietly for five minutes and feet should be flat on the floor.

If your pressure falls in the "prehypertension" category, should you be concerned? Prehypertension can progress to hypertension, which puts people at risk of heart attack, stroke, heart disease and other conditions.

The good news about prehypertension is that you can often make lifestyle changes to lower your numbers. Drugs generally aren’t prescribed for those with prehypertension.

It’s worth the effort to avoid becoming hypertensive by making some positive lifestyle changes such as the following:

• Visit with a healthcare professional such as a registered dietitian or physician to determine a healthy weight for you. If you are overweight, devise a plan to work toward your goal weight.
• Add some physical activity to your daily routine. Aim for at least 30 minutes of moderate physical activity daily such as walking. It can be split into three 10-minute segments and you still get the health benefits.
• Reduce sodium in your diet by eating fewer highly processed foods and leaving the salt shaker in the cupboard.
• Keep alcohol consumption moderate.
• Learn more about the DASH diet, and consider following it.

The DASH diet, short for Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension," is high in potassium (found in fruits and vegetables) and calcium (found in dairy products like lowfat milk, yogurt and cheese). The DASH diet has been shown in many research studies to help reduce blood pressure – or keep it in the normal range.

The DASH diet is low in fat and saturated fat, too. The DASH style of eating includes two to three daily servings of milk and dairy; four to five daily servings of fruits; four to five daily servings of vegetables; seven to eight daily servings of grain-based foods; two daily servings of meat, fish or poultry; and four to five weekly servings of nuts, seeds and dried beans.

For more information on eating the DASH way, contact county offices of the NDSU Extension Service, or visit this Web site: http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/public/heart/hbp/dash/

Here’s a start to eating more fruit and nuts. This easy recipe could be a salad or a dessert.

Grape Salad

1 lb. green grapes (about 2 cups)
1 lb. red grapes (about 2 cups)
3/4 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. lite whipped topping
1 c. lite sour cream
1/4 c. slivered almonds

Wash and stem grapes. Mix other ingredients except almonds. Add grapes and stir. Place in bowl and sprinkle with slivered almonds. Refrigerate.

Makes 8 servings. Each serving contains about 200 calories, 6 grams fat and 37 grams carbohydrate.

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Source: Julie Garden-Robinson, (701) 231-7187, jgardenr@ndsuext.nodak.edu
Editor: Tom Jirik, (701) 231-9629, tjirik@ndsuext.nodak.edu

[Editors: We’ve updated the illustrated column identifier for Julie Garden-Robinson’s Prairie Fare column. If you’re using an older version or if you would like to use the identifier, please download this printable EPS file. Prairie Fare (142 Kb eps file)]