The eating plan known as Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) features menus with plenty of vegetables, fruits and low-fat dairy products, as well as whole grains, fish, poultry and nuts. It offers limited portions of red meats, sweets and sugary beverages.

The standard DASH diet has a proven record of reducing blood pressure. But, a November 2005 study showed that replacing some carboyhydrates with more low fat protein and unsaturated fats reduced blood pressure even more. To add a boost to your DASH diet, you might trade some whole grains for low fat sources of protein, such as poultry or fish. Adding avacado to your salad and cooking with unsaturated fats found in olive oils may also help.

This healthy mix can help control your blood pressure and protect your heart. Maybe you want to eat healthier, too, but aren't quite sure how to incorporate DASH into your own daily menus.

To help you get started, here are three days' worth of menus that conform to the DASH plan. Use them as a basis for your own healthy meal planning.

Remember that on some days, you may eat more of or fewer than the recommended servings for a particular food group, or you may exceed your sodium goal. That's OK, as long as the average of several days or a week is close to the recommendations. Also note that the values for nutritional information may vary according to specific brands of ingredients you use or changes you make in meal preparation.