Are Dairy Products Helpful for Reducing Blood Pressure?
What You Should Know About Dairy and Blood Pressure
There is some evidence to suggest that people who suffer from high blood pressure would benefit from eating dairy products. While it’s certainly important for individuals who suffer from high blood pressure to modify their diets, is adding a regiment of dairy foods really beneficial? We have the answers.
Dairy Products Can Help Blood Pressure Levels
What types of dairy products are good for individuals who suffer from high blood pressure? The list of beneficial dairy foods includes milk, yogurt, and cheese. For milk, skim 1%, or 2% will be good choices, but eventually aim to drink skim milk, which has the least amount of fat.
It is highly recommended for every diet to avoid whole milk because of the high fat and high calories content. This may be a difficult habit to break if you have been raised on whole milk. For the whole milk drinker, skim milk will taste like colored water when first consumed.
Not All Dairy is Equal
Some yogurts have a higher fat content than others. Each brand is different and you should consult the label for more nutritional information.
Cheese is tricky too. Unfortunately, many cheese products contain a lot of fat. There are some low fat cheese products on the market. Some of them will be interchangeable in your recipes while others will not. Use some trial and error when mixing low fat cheese products into your diet.
Three Health Servings of Low-Fat Dairy
High blood pressure sufferers should opt for low fat dairy products and eat a little over three servings a day. One dairy serving would equal eight ounces of milk. Eight ounces yogurt is also equal to one serving of dairy. For cheese products, one and half ounces does it.
Moderation is Key
Again, the overall goal with consuming dairy products is to lower blood pressure but not raise cholesterol. Stick with moderate consumption of low fat dairy products in order to experience the benefits in reduced blood pressure.