Follow this seven-day high-fiber meal plan for high blood pressure for a week of delicious and nutritious heart-healthy meals. We focus on nutrients that support healthy blood pressure, like fiber and potassium, while limiting nutrients that don’t support a healthy heart, such as sodium and saturated fat. High blood pressure, also called hypertension, impacts about 50% of adults in the United States. Though it often has no outward symptoms, untreated high blood pressure can lead to some serious side effects, including stroke, heart attack and heart disease. If you have high blood pressure or know you’re at risk, check in with your medical provider. Though medication may be recommended for many folks, don’t underestimate the positive impact nutrition and lifestyle habits can have on your stats. Follow this seven-day meal plan for high blood pressure to get started.
Why This Meal Plan Is Great for You
To help support healthy blood pressure and overall heart health, we limit saturated fat to a maximum of 14 grams per day. While there’s some debate on saturated fat and heart health, we do know that most of us aren’t getting enough heart-healthy unsaturated fats. In this plan, you’ll find ample sources of unsaturated fats, including nuts and nut butters, avocado and olive oil. We also limit sodium to 1,500 milligrams per day. This is the ideal limit for people with high blood pressure, according to the American Heart Association.
We prioritized two important nutrients that can help lower blood pressure: potassium and fiber. Each day provides an average of about 3,700 milligrams of potassium. The AHA recommends a minimum of 3,500 mg of potassium per day for people who aim to treat or prevent high blood pressure. High-potassium foods include squash, spinach, banana, dairy and sweet potato. We also include an average of 44 grams of fiber per day. Fiber is an important nutrient with many health benefits, including improved heart health and cholesterol as well as reduced blood pressure.
This 1,800-calorie meal plan has modifications for 1,500 and 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.
Day 1
Photographer: Robby Lozano, Food Stylist: Margaret Dickey, Prop Stylist: Julia Bayless
Breakfast (331 calories)
- 1 slice whole-grain bread, toasted
- 1 Tbsp. almond butter
- 1 serving No-Added-Sugar Chia Seed Jam
- 1 (5.3-oz.) container nonfat plain strained Greek-style yogurt
- 1 medium peach
Top toast with almond butter and chia jam; serve with yogurt and peach on the side.
A.M. Snack (311 calories)
- ¼ cup unsalted dry-roasted almonds
- 1 medium banana
Lunch (501 calories)
P.M. Snack (184 calories)
Dinner (484 calories)
Meal-Prep Tip: Reserve three servings Copycat Olive Garden Pasta e Fagioli to have for lunch on Days 2 through 4.
Daily Totals: 1,811 calories, 88g fat, 14g saturated fat, 99g protein, 170g carbohydrate, 47g fiber, 4,312mg potassium, 1,488mg sodium.
Make it 1,500 calories: Omit yogurt at breakfast and almonds at A.M. snack.
Make it 2,000 calories: Add ¼ cup unsalted dry-roasted shelled pistachios as an evening snack.
Day 2
Blaine Moats
Breakfast (408 calories)
A.M. Snack (311 calories)
- ¼ cup unsalted dry-roasted almonds
- 1 medium banana
Lunch (308 calories)
P.M. Snack (101 calories)
- 1 medium pear
Dinner (663 calories)
Daily Totals: 1,795 calories, 84g fat, 13g saturated fat, 76g protein, 201g carbohydrate, 41g fiber, 3,098mg potassium, 1,470mg sodium.
Make it 1,500 calories: Omit almonds at A.M. snack and apple at lunch.
Make it 2,000 calories: Add 2 Tbsp. natural peanut butter to the apple at lunch.
Day 3
Photographer: Jake Sternquist, Food stylist: Annie Probst, Prop stylist: Gabriel Greco
Breakfast (407 calories)
A.M. Snack (311 calories)
- ¼ cup unsalted dry-roasted almonds
- 1 medium banana
Lunch (402 calories)
P.M. Snack (176 calories)
- ¼ cup unsalted dry-roasted shelled pistachios
Dinner (395 calories)
Evening Snack (101 calories)
- 1 medium pear
Daily Totals: 1,793 calories, 71g fat, 13g saturated fat, 87g protein, 220g carbohydrate, 38g fiber, 3,737mg potassium, 1,454mg sodium.
Make it 1,500 calories: Omit almonds at A.M. snack and omit evening snack.
Make it 2,000 calories: Add 2 Tbsp. natural peanut butter to the apple at lunch.
Day 4
Ali Redmond
Breakfast (407 calories)
A.M. Snack (311 calories)
- ¼ cup unsalted dry-roasted almonds
- 1 medium banana
Lunch (402 calories)
P.M. Snack
- 1 (5.3-oz.) container nonfat plain strained Greek-style yogurt
- ½ cup blueberries
Dinner (452 calories)
Evening Snack (101 calories)
- 1 medium pear
Daily Totals: 1,805 calories, 66g fat, 10g saturated fat, 86g protein, 236g carbohydrate, 47g fiber, 3,327mg potassium, 1,498mg sodium.
Make it 1,500 calories: Omit almonds at A.M. snack and omit evening snack.
Make it 2,000 calories: Add 2 Tbsp. natural peanut butter to the apple at lunch.
Day 5
Ali Redmond
Breakfast (407 calories)
A.M. Snack (206 calories)
- ¼ cup unsalted dry-roasted almonds
Lunch (501 calories)
P.M. Snack (184 calories)
Dinner (478 calories)
Daily Totals: 1,776 calories, 82g fat, 11g saturated fat, 99g protein, 173g carbohydrate, 39g fiber, 3,495mg potassium, 1,185 sodium.
Make it 1,500 calories: Omit kefir at breakfast, change A.M. snack to 1 medium peach and omit orange at P.M. snack.
Make it 2,000 calories: Add 1 medium apple to A.M. snack and add 1 medium banana as an evening snack.
Day 6
Photographer: Victor Protasio, Food Stylist: Sally McKay, Prop Stylist: Hannah Greenwood
Breakfast (331 calories)
- 1 slice whole-grain bread, toasted
- 1 Tbsp. almond butter
- 1 serving No-Added-Sugar Chia Seed Jam
- 1 (5.3-oz.) container nonfat plain strained Greek-style yogurt
- 1 medium peach
Top toast with almond butter and chia jam; serve with yogurt and peach on the side.
A.M. Snack (291 calories)
- ¼ cup unsalted dry-roasted almonds
- 1 cup blueberries
Lunch (501 calories)
P.M. Snack (184 calories)
Dinner (423 calories)
Evening Snack (53 calories)
- 1 cup sliced strawberries
Daily Totals: 1,782 calories, 82g fat, 107g protein, 171g carbohydrate, 45g fiber, 4,288mg potassium, 1,332mg sodium.
Make it 1,500 calories: Omit almonds at A.M. snack and omit evening snack.
Make it 2,000 calories: Add ¼ cup unsalted dry-roasted shelled pistachios to evening snack.
How to Meal-Prep Your Week of Meals:
- Make Pumpkin-Date Overnight Oats to have for breakfast on Days 2 through 5.
Frequently Asked Questions
-
Yes! Feel free to mix and match meals if there’s one you don’t like. You can also check out more of our heart-healthy recipes. Just be sure to watch the saturated fat and sodium if you’re making a swap.
-
Definitely, if it’s easier to eat the same breakfast or lunch every day then go for it. Each of the options selected are heart-healthy and low in saturated fat and sodium, so choosing the same option daily should work for most people.
-
We no longer provide modifications for 1,200-calorie days in our meal plans. The 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans suggests that limiting 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.
-
If left untreated, high blood pressure can increase the risk of heart attack, heart disease, stroke, vision loss and kidney damage. Because it has few, if any, outward symptoms, it’s important to get your blood pressure checked regularly.
Heart-Healthy Foods to Focus On:
- Nuts and seeds
- Avocado
- Fish
- Shellfish
- Olive oil
- Poultry
- Eggs
- Beans and lentils
- Whole grains
- Nonfat or low-fat dairy
- Fruits
- Vegetables
- Herbs and spices
Strategies to Improve Blood Pressure:
There are several nutrition and lifestyle strategies that can help improve blood pressure.
- Increase Physical Activity: Aim for at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise per week. This might look like a brisk walk for 30 minutes, five times a week. Check out our The Best Walking Plan to Lower Blood Pressure to get started.
- Reduce Sodium: Cooking more meals at home, checking the nutrition labels and using herbs and spices to pump up the flavor are all great strategies to keep daily sodium intake less than 1,500 milligrams per day.
- Lifestyle Habits: Limiting alcohol to no more than one drink per day for women and two for men and quitting smoking can help improve blood pressure.
- Focus on Nutrition: Don’t underestimate the power of the foods you eat. Focusing on fiber-rich fruits, veggies, whole grains and legumes while eating more high-potassium foods can help support a healthy heart and reduce blood pressure.