According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), nearly half of US adults have high blood pressure, also called hypertension. Although it is often asymptomatic, high blood pressure must be taken seriously. Left untreated, high blood pressure increases the risk of several conditions, including kidney and vision damage, heart disease, and stroke.
Treatment for high blood pressure should include coordinated efforts with your healthcare provider, including regular blood pressure checks. However, there are changes to be made at home that can play a role in increasing your numbers. Regular exercise, a heart-healthy diet, reducing sodium and avoiding or limiting alcohol and smoking can all play a role in lowering your blood pressure.
In this meal plan, we chart out meals and snacks for a week that incorporate the principles of the Mediterranean Diet. You’ll find heart-healthy foods like fish, nuts, seeds, legumes, and fruits and vegetables. Plus, we limit salt to no more than 1,500 mg per day, per the American Heart Association’s recommendations. While excess sodium is limited, this plan doesn’t skimp on taste. And each day includes at least 31 grams of heart-healthy, filling fiber, so you’ll feel satisfied between meals and snacks.
Because weight loss can play a role in increasing blood pressure, we set this plan at 1,500 calories per day, which is the rate at which most people will lose weight. For those with other caloric needs, we’ve included modifications for 1200 and 2000 calories per day. This meal plan serves as a framework for a heart-healthy eating plan but does not need to be followed strictly. Modifications to suit your lifestyle are welcome!
Can the Mediterranean Diet Improve Your Heart Health?
Yes! The Mediterranean diet is consistently praised for its health benefits. This healthy way of eating is linked to improved heart health, sharper brains, reduced risk of diabetes, reduced inflammation and weight loss, according to the Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health. In recent years, the Mediterranean Diet has come under fire for focusing too much on the cuisines of countries such as Italy, France, Spain and Greece, while neglecting the rest of this vast region. In fact, the Mediterranean region stretches across three continents and includes 21 countries. The new Mediterranean diet aims to take a more comprehensive approach to following the region’s nutritional, dietary and cultural attributes. This shift in perspective is welcome as it is more inclusive, diversifies the taste profile and more accurately views the Mediterranean region. To follow the Mediterranean diet (and reap its health benefits), aim to include lots of fruit and vegetables, herbs and spices, whole grains and a variety of proteins, such as nuts, seeds, chickpeas and lentils and animal protein. One of the tenets of the Mediterranean diet includes cooking more meals at home, which helps reduce sodium intake by reducing processed foods. The Mediterranean diet focuses more on lifestyle than traditional diets, so aiming to find enjoyment in food preparation and taste, sharing food with others, increasing mindfulness and incorporating regular body movement are all components of this healthy lifestyle.
Mediterranean Diet Foods to Focus on:
This list briefly reviews some of the foods to include in the Mediterranean Diet. This is not a complete list.
- Fruits: berries, pomegranates, peaches, pears, apples, plums, figs, cherries, apricots
- Vegetables: dark green vegetables, tomatoes, okra, eggplant, squash, potatoes and sweet potatoes, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower
- Whole Grains: quinoa, oats, bulgur, freekeh, whole wheat, pasta, brown rice
- Unsaturated fats: olive oil, olives, avocado and avocado oil
- Beans and lentils
- Nuts: almonds, pecans, walnuts, natural peanut butter (no added sugar and limited sodium)
- Seeds: chia, flax, pumpkin, sunflower
- Fish
- Egg
- Dairy: yogurt, kefir, cheese
- poultry
- Red meat: beef, pork, lamb
- Herbs and spices
Red meat is often limited when it comes to the Mediterranean Diet food list. However, many countries in the region consume red meat. In this diet, no one food or food group is excluded. Instead, what and how we eat is the main focus. Aim to cook more meals at home, eat lots of fruits and vegetables, and have a diverse and healthy diet are some of the core tenets of this plan.
How to Meal-Prep Your Week of Meals:
- Make Lemon-Blueberry Overnight Oats for breakfast on Days 2 to 4.
- Prepare Tandoori Padma Lakshmi Chicken Salad for lunch on day 2 to 5.
- Prepare Peanut-Oat Butter Energy Balls as a snack throughout the week.
Day 1
Breakfast (332 calories)
AM snack (59 calories)
Lunch (417 calories)
PM snack (172 calories)
- ½ cup dry roasted unsalted pistachios (measured in shell)
Dinner (535 calories)
Daily Totals: 1,514 calories, 82g fat, 14g saturated fat, 75g protein, 138g carbohydrates 32g fiber, 1,470mg sodium
Make it 1200 calories: Omit the oranges at breakfast, change the PM snack to 1/4 cup blueberries and substitute the Kale Salad with Balsamic & Parmesan for Avocado & Corn Salad at dinner.
Make it 2,000 calories: Up to 2 servings of Avocado-Egg Toast at breakfast and add 1/4 cup of dry roasted unsalted almonds to the AM snack.
Day 2
Breakfast (384 calories)
AM snack (92 calories)
Lunch (339 calories)
PM snack (246 calories)
- 1 large pear
- ⅓ cup dry roasted unsalted pistachios (measured in shell)
Dinner (433 calories)
Daily Totals: 1,493 calories, 54g fat, 9g saturated fat, 87g protein, 181g carbohydrates, 36g fiber, 1,492mg sodium
Make it 1200 calories: Skip the chopped walnuts at breakfast, apples at lunch, and pistachios at PM snacks.
Make it 2,000 calories: Increase to 1/4 cup chopped walnuts at breakfast, increase to 3 energy ball servings at AM snack, add 2 tablespoons. natural peanut butter to apples at lunch and add 1 medium peach for an evening snack.
3rd day
Breakfast (384 calories)
AM snack (212 calories)
Lunch (339 calories)
PM snack (154 calories)
- 20 dry roasted unsalted almonds
Dinner (427 calories)
Daily Totals: 1,515 calories, 70g fat, 8g saturated fat, 72g protein, 166g carbohydrates, 34g fiber, 1,472mg sodium
Make it 1200 calories: Omit the walnuts at breakfast, reduce to 1 energy ball at the AM snack and change the PM snack to 3/4 cup of blueberries.
Make it 2,000 calories: Increase to 1/4 cup chopped walnuts at breakfast, adding 2 tablespoons. natural peanut butter for lunch and add 1 serving of Spinach-Strawberry Salad with Feta & Walnuts for dinner.
Day 4
Breakfast (384 calories)
AM snack (46 calories)
Lunch (339 calories)
PM snack (212 calories)
Dinner (535 calories)
Daily Totals: 1,516 calories, 54g fat, 9g saturated fat, 95g protein, 175g carbohydrates, 32g fiber, 1,404mg sodium
Make it 1200 calories: Omit the walnuts at breakfast and the apple at lunch and cut down to 1 energy ball at PM snacks.
Make it 2,000 calories: Increase to 3 tbsp. chopped walnuts at breakfast, add 1/4 cup dry roasted unsalted almonds to an AM snack and 2 Tbsp. natural peanut butter for lunch.
Day 5
Breakfast (333 calories)
AM snack (182 calories)
- 1 cup low-fat plain Greek yogurt
- ¼ cup raspberries
Lunch (339 calories)
PM snack (200 calories)
Dinner (441 calories)
Daily Totals: 1,495 calories, 53g fat, 9g saturated fat, 88g protein, 179g carbohydrates, 43g fiber, 1,476mg sodium
Make it 1200 calories: Omit the yogurt in the AM snack and change the PM snack to 1 medium peach.
Make it 2,000 calories: Add 2 tbsp. chopped walnuts for AM snack, 2 tbsp. natural peanut butter for lunch (with apple) and 1 medium peach for PM snack.
Day 6
Breakfast (333 calories)
AM snack (212 calories)
Lunch (357 calories)
PM snack (172 calories)
- ½ cup dry roasted unsalted pistachios (measured in shell)
Dinner (450 calories)
Daily Totals: 1,523 calories, 78g fat, 17g saturated fat, 69g protein, 150g carbohydrates, 31g fiber, 1,411mg sodium
Make it 1200 calories: Reduce to 1 energy ball at the AM snack and change the PM snack to 1/3 cup sliced cucumber.
Make it 2,000 calories: Add 1 serving of Peanut Butter-Banana Cinnamon Toast for breakfast, 1 medium apple for AM snack and 1 medium banana for PM snack.
Day 7
Breakfast (332 calories)
AM snack (131 calories)
Lunch (357 calories)
PM snack (200 calories)
Dinner (450 calories)
Daily Totals: 1,478 calories, 76g fat, 13g saturated fat, 83g protein, 118g carbohydrates, 32g fiber, 1,449mg sodium
Make it 1200 calories: Change the AM snack to 1 plum and the PM snack to 1/4 cup of blueberries.
Make it 2,000 calories: Increase to 2 servings of Avocado-Egg Toast at breakfast, add 1/4 cup dry roasted unsalted almonds to the AM snack and add 1 medium peach to the PM snack.
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