The Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet can help control blood pressure.

The DASH diet is rich in vegetables, fruits and whole grains. It includes fat-free or low-fat dairy products, fish, poultry, beans and nuts. It limits foods that are high in saturated fat, such as fatty meats and full-fat dairy products. The DASH diet also limits salt, also called sodium, to between 1,500 and 2,300 milligrams a day.

Here are the number of servings to eat from each food group for two calorie levels of the DASH diet. Following are examples of what a single serving is.

Recommended number of servings

Food group	1,600-calorie diet	2,000-calorie diet
Source: National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
Grains (mainly whole grains)	6 a day	6-8 a day
Vegetables	3-4 a day	4-5 a day
Fruits	4 a day	4-5 a day
Low-fat or fat-free milk and milk products	2-3 a day	2-3 a day
Lean meats, poultry and fish	3-4 one-ounce servings or fewer a day	6 one-ounce servings or fewer a day
Nuts, seeds and legumes	3-4 a week	4-5 a week
Fats and oils	2 a day	2-3 a day
Sweets and added sugars	3 or fewer a week	5 or fewer a week