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

Serving sizes in the DASH diet may not be like those of other eating plans. Examples of single servings for each food group are listed below.

Grains

• 1 slice whole-wheat bread.
• 1 ounce dry whole-grain cereal.
• 1/2 cup cooked cereal, rice or pasta (preferably whole grain).

Vegetables

• 1 cup raw leafy green vegetable.
• 1/2 cup cut-up raw or cooked vegetables.
• 1/2 cup (4 fluid ounces) low-sodium vegetable juice.

Fruits

• 1 medium fruit.
• 1/4 cup dried fruit.
• 1/2 cup fresh, frozen or canned fruit.
• 1/2 cup (4 fluid ounces) 100% fruit juice.

Fat-free or low-fat dairy products

• 1 cup (8 fluid ounces) low-fat or fat-free milk.
• 1 cup low-fat or fat-free yogurt.
• 1 1/2 ounces low-fat or fat-free cheese.

Lean meats, poultry and fish.

• 1 ounce cooked lean meat, skinless poultry or fish.
• 1 egg.
• 2 egg whites.

Nuts, seeds and legumes

• 1/3 cup (1 1/2 ounces) nuts.
• 2 tablespoons peanut butter.
• 2 tablespoons (1/2 ounce) seeds.
• 1/2 cup cooked dried beans or peas.

Fats and oils

• 1 teaspoon soft margarine.
• 1 teaspoon vegetable oil.
• 1 tablespoon mayonnaise.
• 2 tablespoons low-fat salad dressing or 1 tablespoon regular dressing.

Sweets and added sugars

• 1 tablespoon sugar.
• 1 tablespoon jelly or jam.
• 1/2 cup sorbet.
• 1 cup (8 fluid ounces) sugar-sweetened lemonade.