High blood pressure, also known as hypertension, is a chronic ailment of your vascular system where there is an increased pressure against the walls of the blood vessels. Over time, this increased pressure can weaken veins and arteries which increases the risk of heart attack and stroke. In an effort to control hypertension, the National Heart Lung & Blood Institute developed a plan called the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension, or DASH plan. The DASH plan implements the use of exercise, alcohol limitation, sodium reduction, and a diet that is high in fruits and vegetables. The DASH eating plan suggests that you get at least 4 to 5 daily servings of vegetables per day. A serving of a raw green leafy vegetable is considered at least one cup.
Spinach
Spinach is perhaps one of the best green leafy vegetables for the DASH plan because it is packed full of nutrients. A cup of raw spinach is a good source of vitamins A, C, K, folate, calcium, potassium, magnesium, fiber and is low in sodium at only 35 mg per serving. However, be wary of canned spinach because it can have 10 to 20 times the amount of sodium as the fresh spinach.
Kale
Like spinach, kale is a good leafy green vegetable that should be included into your DASH diet plan to control your blood pressure. Raw kale is rich in potassium with nearly 300 mg per 1 cup serving. Kale also contains high amounts of magnesium, fiber, vitamins A, C and K, folate and is also low in sodium at nearly 30 mg per serving. However, if you cook kale and add salt, the sodium level can shoot up to nearly 400 mg per serving, which will work against the low sodium aspect of the DASH plan.
Broccoli
Broccoli is not always thought of as a green leafy vegetable because most people think of the broccoli stalk and florets; however most of the leafy greens are cut away from the vegetable before it is sold. Broccoli is an important vegetable to be included in your DASH diet because it is high in potassium, fiber, vitamins A, C, and E and contains only 30 mg of sodium per chopped cup.
