Eat Well, Be Well

The WELL diet serves up weight loss with a side of blood pressure control.

Researchers who designed a diet high in fruits, vegetables, and low-fat dairy -- the WELL diet -- discovered that people who followed the eating plan for 12 weeks experienced better blood pressure improvements compared to people who followed a low-fat diet. The WELL diet's secret to success: foods high in blood pressure-friendly nutrients.

No commercial information about the WELL diet exists yet. Generally, however, the diet calls for low-fat foods high in calcium, magnesium, and potassium -- all nutrients important to blood pressure control -- and moderate sodium. The diet encourages four or more servings per day of fruits and vegetables each, three or more servings of non-fat dairy, fish three times per week, legumes at least once a week, and unsalted nuts or seeds four times each week.

The diet also discourages red meat consumption. In a recent study, researchers compared weight loss and blood pressure effects of two diets in a group of middle-aged men. One group of men consumed a traditional low-fat diet while the other followed the WELL diet. Men in both groups were moderately active for half an hour on most days of the week. While men in both groups lost between 10 and 11 pounds, men in the WELL diet group experienced a greater decrease in blood pressure.