7-Day Weight-Loss Meal Plan for High Blood Pressure, Created by a Dietitian

Enjoy these delicious heart-healthy meals and snacks to help manage your blood pressure while achieving your weight-loss goals.

According to the National Institutes of Health, nearly half of all adults in the United States have high blood pressure. If left untreated, high blood pressure can put more stress on the heart and lead to serious health issues, like kidney disease, damaged blood vessels, heart disease and stroke. Because high blood pressure, also called hypertension, has very few obvious symptoms, many people are unaware they have it, so it's a good idea to get it checked by a medical provider if you're unsure. Fortunately, diet and lifestyle, including weight loss for people with excessive weight, can play a role in lowering blood pressure.

Why This Meal Plan Is Great for You

In this weeklong meal plan, we limit sodium while incorporating principles of the DASH diet to help keep your heart healthy. In order to be considered heart-healthy, each day's plan stays at or below the American Heart Association's (AHA) recommendation of 1,500 mg or less of sodium per day. The The DASH diet, standing for Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension, is considered the gold standard for improving heart health and lowering blood pressure. It's similar to the Mediterranean diet, as it also emphasizes a high intake of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes and lean proteins while limiting processed foods, refined grains and excess sodium.

Exercise can also significantly lower blood pressure, so aim to move your body in whatever way feels best. A 4-week walking plan is a great place to start. According to the AHA, even a minimal amount of weight loss can improve blood pressure for people with clinical obesity. We set this plan at 1,500 calories a day, which is a level that will result in healthy and gradual weight loss for most people.

This 1,500-calorie meal plan has modifications for 2,000 calories to support those with different calorie needs. While we previously included meal plans and modifications for 1,200 calories, we no longer do. The 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans suggests that limiting your calories to 1,200 per day is too low for most people to meet their nutritional needs, plus it’s unsustainable for long-term health and well-being.