Blood Pressure Cheat Sheet

Written By Judy Doherty, MPS, PCII

Positive habits to lower blood pressure and keep it normal over time:

  1. DIET: Low-sodium DASH style diet that is filled with plenty of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes and beans, nuts, seeds, low-fat dairy that is a good source of calcium, lean protein including seafood. This is a nutrient-rich diet prepared from whole foods without a lot of processed food or added sugar, fat, and salt. Following this diet means you should prepare most of your meals from scratch and read food labels as most of the sodium consumed comes from processed foods and meals eaten away from home. (1)

  2. ACTIVITY: Exercise at least 150 minutes of aerobic activity per week (2) with strength and isometric activity added, too. That is just 25 minutes per day.

  3. ALCOHOL: Drink sparingly for special occasions or not at all – the official DGA limit is one drink for women and 2 for men per day but research shows one drink or less per day to avoid blood pressure rising from alcohol consumption (3)

  4. WEIGHT: Work on getting your body weight to a healthy category using a BMI calculator online (2)

  5. TRACK: Monitor your blood pressure and keep a journal on your diet and lifestyle habits as well as the readings. (2)

  6. SLEEP: Get enough sleep. Most adults need 6 to 8 hours of sleep per night. If you suspect you have sleep apnea or problems sleeping consult a physician (4)

  7. SMOKING: Avoid smoking and vaping (2)

  8. STRESS: Manage stress and learn relaxation and meditation methods to cope.(5)

References:

1.Svetkey LP, Sacks FM, Obarzanek E, Vollmer WM, Appel LJ, Lin PH, Karanja NM, Harsha DW, Bray GA, Aickin M, Proschan MA, Windhauser MM, Swain JF, McCarron PB, Rhodes DG, Laws RL. The DASH Diet, Sodium Intake and Blood Pressure Trial (DASH-sodium): rationale and design. DASH-Sodium Collaborative Research Group. J Am Diet Assoc. 1999 Aug;99(8 Suppl):S96-104. doi: 10.1016/s0002-8223(99)00423-x. PMID: 10450301.

2.Joint Committee Guidelines on Blood Pressure 2025 https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/10.1161/CIR.0000000000001356#tab-citations

3.Type of Alcohol and Blood Pressure: The Copenhagen General Population Study, Jensen, Gorm Boje et al.,The American Journal of Medicine, Volume 137, Issue 9, 857 - 864.e4

4.Calhoun DA, Harding SM. Sleep and hypertension. Chest. 2010 Aug;138(2):434-43. doi: 10.1378/chest.09-2954. PMID: 20682533; PMCID: PMC2913764.

5.https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/high-blood-pressure/treatment#:~:text=Learning%20how%20to%20manage%20stress,hours%20of%20sleep%20per%20day.

What one day of the DASH diet looks like

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Judy Doherty, MPS, PCII

Judy’s passion for cooking began with helping her grandmother make raisin oatmeal for breakfast. From there, she earned her first food service job at 15, was accepted to the world-famous Culinary Institute of America at 18 (where she graduated second in her class), and went on to the Fachschule Richemont in Switzerland, where she focused on pastry arts and baking. After a decade in food service for Hyatt Hotels, Judy launched Food and Health Communications to focus on flavor and health. She graduated with Summa Cum Laude distinction from Johnson and Wales University with a BS in Culinary Arts, holds a master’s degree in Food Business from the Culinary Institute of America, two art certificates from UC Berkeley Extension, and runs a food photography & motion studio where her love is creating fun recipes and content.

Judy received The Culinary Institute of America’s Pro Chef II certification, the American Culinary Federation Bronze Medal, Gold Medal, and ACF Chef of the Year. Her enthusiasm for eating nutritiously and deliciously leads her to constantly innovate and use the latest nutritional science and Dietary Guidelines to guide her creativity, from putting new twists on fajitas to adapting Italian brownies to include ingredients like toasted nuts and cooked honey. Judy’s publishing company, Food and Health Communications, is dedicated to her vision that everyone can make food that tastes as good as it is for you.

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