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7-Day Indian Diet Plan for High Blood Pressure: Complete Chart with Shopping List
By Hafsaa Farooq | Medically Reviewed | Updated April 2026
Knowing which foods are good for blood pressure is one thing. Having a structured, ready-to-follow plan that removes daily decision-making is another.
This 7-day Indian diet plan for high blood pressure is built on DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) principles, adapted entirely to Indian cooking. Every meal uses ingredients available in any Indian kitchen or local market.
The plan is designed to keep sodium below 1,500 mg per day, deliver at least 3,500 mg of potassium, and provide adequate calcium and magnesium, the four nutrient levers that clinical trials show can reduce systolic blood pressure by 8 to 14 mmHg without medication change (Appel et al., 1997, NEJM; Sacks et al., 2001, NEJM).
Both a vegetarian and a non-vegetarian version are included.
Before you start: This plan is designed to complement, not replace, prescribed antihypertensive medication. Do not stop or reduce medication without consulting your doctor. Share this plan with your doctor if you have kidney disease, diabetes, or are pregnant, as some modifications may be needed.
The 5 Rules This Plan Follows
Every day in this plan is built around five non-negotiable principles:
- Sodium under 1,500 mg per day: all meals are home-cooked with measured salt (maximum ¼ tsp per dish). No packaged snacks, commercial achaar, papad, or restaurant food on plan days.
- Potassium target 3,500 to 4,700 mg: at least one banana or equivalent potassium-rich fruit per day, dal at both main meals, and a vegetable serving at every meal.
- Calcium 900 to 1,100 mg from food: plain dahi or low-fat milk included daily; ragi used at least 3 days per week.
- Cooking fat: 3 to 4 tsp cold-pressed mustard oil or groundnut oil per day total. No vanaspati, no dalda, no refined soybean oil.
- No added sugar beverages: water, plain chaach (no salt), green tea, or hibiscus tea between meals. Maximum 1 tsp sugar in morning chai if needed.
Daily Nutrition Targets at a Glance
| Nutrient | Daily Target | Primary Sources in This Plan |
|---|---|---|
| Sodium | <1,500 mg | Home-cooked food only; ¼ tsp salt max per dish; no packaged food |
| Potassium | 3,500 to 4,700 mg | Banana, dahi, dal, palak, amrood, papita, mosambi |
| Calcium | 900 to 1,100 mg | Low-fat dahi (200g = 200 mg), ragi, low-fat milk, til |
| Magnesium | 350 to 400 mg | Bajra/jowar roti, oats, moong dal, akhroti, palak |
| Fibre | 28 to 35g | Whole grain roti, dal, vegetables, fruit, oats |
| Protein | 50 to 60g | Dal, dahi, paneer (home-made), eggs or fish (non-veg) |
| Total fat | <55g | 3 to 4 tsp mustard/groundnut oil + nuts; no fried food |
7-Day Diet Chart: Vegetarian (with Dairy and Eggs Option)
This plan is fully vegetarian. Eggs are marked as optional for ovo-vegetarians. Each day's estimated sodium and potassium are noted to help you track progress.
| On Waking | Breakfast (7:00–8:30 am) | Lunch (12:30–1:30 pm) | Evening (4:00–5:00 pm) | Dinner (7:00–8:00 pm) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Day 1 Somvar Na: ~1,100mg K: ~3,800mg | 1 glass warm water + 20ml amla juice | Oats upma (40g oats, peas, carrot, 1 tsp mustard oil, curry leaves) + 200g plain dahi + 1 banana | 2 gehun roti + masoor dal (1 katori) + palak sabzi + kachumber salad (tomato, cucumber, lemon) | 1 mutthi unsalted akhroti + 1 amrood (guava) + green tea | 1 ragi roti + 1 gehun roti + moong dal + lauki sabzi + 200g dahi |
| Day 2 Mangalvar Na: ~1,050mg K: ~3,950mg | 1 glass warm water + 5 soaked badam | 2 moong dal chilla (spinach + coriander filling, 1 tsp oil) + 200g dahi + 1 orange | Brown rice (½ cup cooked) + rajma (1 katori, home-cooked) + mixed salad + chaach (unsalted) | Roasted chana (¼ cup, unsalted) + hibiscus tea | 2 jowar roti + arhar dal + bhindi sabzi + 200g dahi |
| Day 3 Budhvar Na: ~1,150mg K: ~4,100mg | 1 glass warm water + 1 banana | Vegetable daliya (½ cup daliya, mixed veg, 1 tsp oil) + 1 glass low-fat milk + 1 amla (raw or juice) | 2 bajra roti + chana dal + methi sabzi + sliced tomato + 200g dahi | 1 cup plain makhana (unsalted, dry-roasted) + 1 banana + green tea | Moong dal khichdi (½ cup brown rice + ¼ cup dal) + palak raita + salad |
| Day 4 Guruvar Na: ~1,200mg K: ~3,700mg | 1 glass of warm water + 1 tbsp of ground alsi in warm water | Ragi porridge (3 tbsp ragi flour + low-fat milk, mashed banana) + 5 soaked badam | 2 gehun roti + mixed dal (masoor + moong) + turai sabzi + kachumber + chaach (unsalted) | Mixed fruit: papaya (½ cup) + mosambi (1) + 1 tsp honey if needed | 2 gehun roti + rajma (½ katori) + amaranth (chaulai) sabzi + 200g dahi |
| Day 5 Shukravar Na: ~1,000mg K: ~4,200mg | 1 glass warm water + 1 banana | 200g plain hung dahi + 1 banana + 30g unsalted akhroti + 1 tbsp ground alsi | 2 ragi roti + sambar (home-made, drumstick + tomato + dal, low-salt) + coconut chutney (1 tbsp) + salad | 1 amrood + hibiscus tea | Brown rice (½ cup) + masoor dal + palak sabzi + 200g dahi |
| Day 6 Shanivaar Na: ~1,100mg K: ~3,850mg | 1 glass warm water + 20ml amla juice | Poha (½ cup flattened rice, peas, 1 tsp oil, minimal salt, lemon) + 200g dahi + 1 orange | 2 gehun roti + chole (home-cooked, low-salt) + carrot-cucumber salad + chaach (unsalted) | 3 to 4 khajoor (dates) + 1 mutthi unsalted badam + green tea | 2 jowar roti + masoor dal + lauki sabzi + 200g dahi |
| Day 7 Ravivaar Na: ~1,050mg K: ~4,000mg | 1 glass warm water + 5 soaked badam | Idli (2) + sambar (home-made, low-salt) + 1 glass low-fat milk | Veg pulao (½ cup brown rice, mixed veg, 1 tsp oil, whole spices) + palak raita + salad | 1 cup plain makhana + sliced papaya + hibiscus tea | Daliya khichdi (broken wheat + moong dal) + mixed vegetable sabzi + 200g dahi |
7-Day Diet Chart: Non-Vegetarian (Fish, Eggs, Lean Chicken)
This version replaces some dal and paneer servings with fish, eggs, and skinless chicken. Red meat and processed meats are excluded. Fish is preferred over chicken for its omega-3 content. Sodium and potassium targets are identical to the vegetarian plan.
| On Waking | Breakfast (7:00–8:30 am) | Lunch (12:30–1:30 pm) | Evening (4:00–5:00 pm) | Dinner (7:00–8:00 pm) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Day 1 Somvar | Warm water + 20ml amla juice | 2 scrambled eggs (1 tsp mustard oil, herbs, no salt packet) + 1 gehun roti + 200g dahi + 1 banana | Brown rice (½ cup) + bangda curry (light tomato gravy, 1 fish, minimal salt) + kachumber | 1 mutthi unsalted akhroti + 1 amrood + green tea | 2 gehun roti + masoor dal + palak sabzi + 200 g dahi |
| Day 2 Mangalvar | Warm water + 5 soaked badam | Oats upma + 200g dahi + 1 orange | 2 bajra roti + grilled chicken (80g skinless, turmeric + mustard oil) + mixed sabzi + salad | Roasted chana + hibiscus tea | Daliya khichdi + egg curry (1 egg, light gravy) + 200g dahi |
| Day 3 Budhvar | Warm water + 1 banana | Ragi porridge (milk-based) + 1 boiled egg + 1 amla | Brown rice (½ cup) + sardine curry (tomato-kokum base, 2 sardines, low-salt) + salad | 1 banana + 1 cup plain makhana + green tea | 2 jowar roti + moong dal + methi sabzi + 200g dahi |
| Day 4 Guruvar | Warm water + 1 tbsp ground alsi in warm water | 2 moong dal chilla + 200g dahi + 1 kiwi | 2 gehun roti + chicken stir-fry (80g, with capsicum + onion, 1 tsp oil, no soy sauce) + salad | Mixed fruit: papaya + mosambi | Brown rice (½ cup) + rohu fillet (grilled, 80g) + palak sabzi + 200g dahi |
| Day 5 Shukravar | Warm water + 1 banana | Poha + 1 boiled egg + 1 glass low-fat milk | 2 ragi roti + egg bhurji (1 egg, spinach, 1 tsp oil, minimal salt) + salad + chaach | Unsalted makhana + hibiscus tea | 2 gehun roti + rajma + bhindi sabzi + 200g dahi |
| Day 6 Shanivaar | Warm water + 20ml amla juice | Vegetable daliya + 200g dahi + 1 orange | Brown rice (½ cup) + grilled bangda (2, turmeric + mustard oil, minimal salt) + tomato-onion salad | 30g unsalted akhroti + 3 khajoor + green tea | 2 jowar roti + masoor dal + lauki sabzi + 200g dahi |
| Day 7 Ravivaar | Warm water + 5 soaked badam | Idli (2) + sambar + 1 boiled egg on the side | Fish curry (rohu, light tomato gravy, low-salt) + brown rice (½ cup) + palak salad | 1 cup plain makhana + sliced papaya + hibiscus tea | 2 gehun roti + chana dal + mixed vegetable sabzi + 200g dahi |
Salt rule for both plans: Use a maximum of ¼ tsp (approximately 600 mg sodium) across all dishes cooked in a single day. This means sharing that ¼ tsp between your dal, sabzi, and any other cooked preparation. It sounds strict, but it becomes instinctive within a week. After 10 to 14 days, most people find that their palate recalibrates and food with previous salt levels tastes oversalted.
Estimated Daily Nutrition: What Each Day Delivers
| Day | Est. Sodium | Est. Potassium | Est. Calcium | Est. Fibre | Key Nutrient Highlight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Day 1 | ~1,100 mg | ~3,800 mg | ~900 mg | ~30g | Oats beta-glucan (BP reduction) + amla vitamin C + akhroti omega-3 |
| Day 2 | ~1,050 mg | ~3,950 mg | ~850 mg | ~32g | Rajma potassium + moong dal chilla protein + orange hesperidin |
| Day 3 | ~1,150 mg | ~4,100 mg | ~1,050 mg | ~34g | Ragi calcium (highest day) + chana dal magnesium + makhana snack |
| Day 4 | ~1,200 mg | ~3,700 mg | ~900 mg | ~28g | Alsi omega-3 + mixed dal potassium + amaranth calcium |
| Day 5 | ~1,000 mg | ~4,200 mg | ~980 mg | ~31g | Lowest sodium day + ragi roti calcium + hung dahi protein |
| Day 6 | ~1,100 mg | ~3,850 mg | ~870 mg | ~29g | Poha iron + chole fibre + khajoor magnesium |
| Day 7 | ~1,050 mg | ~4,000 mg | ~950 mg | ~33g | Idli probiotics + brown rice fibre + makhana snack calcium |
Weekly Shopping List (for 1 Person, Vegetarian Plan)
Buy once at the start of the week. All quantities cover the full 7-day plan.
Grains and Staples
- Rolled oats (not instant): 250g
- Daliya (broken wheat): 250g
- Ragi flour: 300g
- Whole wheat atta (for roti): 1 kg
- Jowar flour: 500g
- Bajra flour: 500g
- Brown rice: 500g
- Flattened rice (poha, thick variety): 200g
- Moong dal (split, yellow): 300g
- Masoor dal: 300 g
- Arhar dal: 200 g
- Chana dal: 200 g
- Idli rice + urad dal (or ready idli batter): 300g / 500ml batter
Vegetables (Fresh, Buy Every 3 to 4 Days)
- Palak: 500g
- Methi leaves: 250g
- Lauki (bottle gourd): 2 medium
- Bhindi: 300g
- Turai / tori: 250g
- Tomatoes: 8 to 10
- Onions: 4 medium
- Cucumber: 4
- Carrot: 4
- Drumstick (saijan ki phalli): 4 to 6 sticks (for sambar)
- Amaranth leaves (chaulai / rajgira saag): 250g (if available)
- Capsicum: 2
Fruits (Fresh, Buy Every 3 Days)
- Bananas: 8 to 10
- Oranges / mosambi: 4 to 5
- Amrood (guava): 3 to 4
- Papaya: 1 small
- Amla (fresh or 100ml amla juice, unsweetened): 6 to 8 fresh or 1 bottle
- Kiwi: 2 (optional, Day 4)
Dairy
- Plain low-fat dahi: 1.5 kg (or make at home from 1.5L toned milk)
- Low-fat/toned milk: 1 litre (for porridge and chaach)
- Chaach / buttermilk: can be made from dahi + water, no separate purchase needed
Legumes (Dry or Cooked)
- Rajma: 200g dry (soak overnight before Day 2 and Day 6)
- Chole (kabuli chana): 200g dry (soak overnight before Day 6)
Nuts and Seeds
- Akhroti (walnuts, unsalted): 200g
- Badam (almonds, unsalted): 100g
- Alsi (flaxseeds): 100g (grind fresh weekly in mixer)
- Makhana (fox nuts, plain): 200g
- Til (sesame seeds): 50g (optional, for chutneys)
- Khajoor (dates): 100g
Pantry and Cooking Essentials
- Cold-pressed mustard oil: 200ml
- Dried hibiscus flowers (gudhal): 50g (for hibiscus tea)
- Green tea bags: 1 box
- Whole spices: cumin (jeera), mustard seeds (rai), turmeric, hing, curry leaves, coriander powder
- Fresh coriander and mint: 2 bunches
- Lemons: 6 to 8
- Coconut (fresh or desiccated, small amount for sambar/chutney): 50g
What NOT to buy this week: namkeen, biscuits, chips, instant noodles, packaged masala mixes (use whole spices instead), commercial achaar, ketchup, flavoured yogurt, cold drinks, or packaged juice. These are off the plan. If they are in the house, they will be eaten. The simplest strategy is not to purchase them.
Sunday Meal Prep: 90 Minutes to Set Up the Whole Week
Spending 90 minutes on Sunday evening dramatically reduces daily cooking time and the likelihood of reaching for packaged food on busy weekdays.
| Prep Task | Time | Covers |
|---|---|---|
| Soak rajma and chole in separate bowls | 5 min (+ overnight soak) | Day 2 rajma, Day 6 chole |
| Cook a large batch of brown rice (3 cups dry) | 35 min | Lunch rice for Days 1, 3, 5, 7; refrigerate in portions |
| Pressure cook masoor and moong dal (1 cup each) | 20 min | Dinner dal for Days 1, 3, 4; saves 20 min on weeknights |
| Wash and chop vegetables: palak, methi, lauki, tomatoes | 20 min | Sabzi prep for Days 1 to 4; store in airtight containers |
| Grind alsi (flaxseeds) in a mixer, store in a glass jar | 5 min | Week's supply ready; add to oats, dahi, or roti dough daily |
| Prepare idli batter (if making from scratch) | 15 min active + overnight fermentation | Sunday breakfast and leftovers through Monday |
| Set dahi to culture overnight | 5 min | Fresh dahi for Monday; repeat every 2 days |
What to Do If You Eat Out During the Week
One restaurant meal during a 7-day plan is manageable if handled correctly. The goal is not perfection but the overall pattern. Use these guidelines when eating out:
- Choose dal tadka, plain rice, roti, and a dry sabzi over gravies, paneer curries, or restaurant dal makhni (which can contain 800 to 1,400 mg sodium per serving)
- Ask for chutneys and sauces on the side, and skip the papad and achaar that arrive automatically
- Choose tandoori preparations (fish, paneer tikka, mushroom tikka) over fried items
- Drink plain water or nimbu paani (ask for no black salt or minimal salt)
- On the day you eat out, keep all other meals very low-sodium: plain oats with fruit for breakfast, plain dahi with fruit as a snack
- Do not treat one restaurant meal as a reason to abandon the rest of the day's plan
What to Do After the 7 Days
The 7-day plan is a framework, not a fixed rotation to repeat forever. After completing week one, use these principles to continue:
- Weeks 2 and 3: Rotate the meal plan. Swap Day 1's breakfast for Day 5's, or substitute a different dal variety. The nutritional framework stays constant; the specific meals rotate to prevent monotony.
- Measure your BP after 2 weeks: Take readings at the same time each morning (ideally before eating, after 5 minutes of rest, on both arms). A consistent 2 to 4 mmHg reduction in systolic BP after 2 weeks of strict adherence confirms that the dietary changes are working.
- Seasonal rotation: Swap fruits and vegetables with what is in season. In summer, watermelon and jamun replace guava. In winter, amla, citrus, and mustard greens come into season. The DASH and Mediterranean diet principles work with any season's produce; the specific ingredients are flexible.
- Add exercise: The DASH diet combined with aerobic exercise reduces systolic BP by an additional 4 to 5 mmHg beyond diet alone (Blumenthal et al., 2010, Archives of Internal Medicine). Even 30 minutes of brisk walking 5 days per week adds measurable benefit on top of this dietary plan.
- Track sodium, not just food: After week one, begin logging your meals in the Hint app to see your daily sodium total. Most people are surprised to find their sodium intake from home-cooked food is already below 1,500 mg when they follow this plan strictly, while a single restaurant meal pushes them to 3,000 mg.
What to expect: In clinical trials of the DASH diet in Indian adults, meaningful blood pressure reductions begin to appear within 2 weeks. The full effect develops over 8 weeks of consistent adherence. Sodium reduction produces the fastest results, sometimes within 3 to 5 days. Be patient with the potassium and calcium effects, which build more gradually.
Go Beyond the 7 Days with Hint Premium
Hint Premium: Your Personal Dietitian
A 7-day plan gives you a strong start. Maintaining the dietary pattern over months, adapting it to your specific blood pressure response, and filling nutritional gaps that a general plan cannot address is where a dedicated dietitian makes the difference.
- Week-by-week progression: Your Hint Premium dietitian builds on the 7-day foundation with a rolling plan that evolves as your blood pressure improves, introducing new foods, adjusting portions, and preventing the dietary monotony that causes most people to fall back to old habits.
- Sodium audit from your food log: Hint tracks your daily sodium from logged meals. Your dietitian reviews the log and identifies the specific foods keeping your sodium above target, whether it is a hidden source in a recipe or a snack habit.
- Personalised targets: If you have diabetes alongside hypertension, kidney disease, or are on specific medications, your dietitian adjusts the plan's potassium, sodium, and calorie targets to fit your full health profile.
- Festival and travel continuity: Diwali, Eid, weddings, work travel: your dietitian prepares you with practical strategies for maintaining blood pressure-friendly eating through every disruption to routine.
- BP trend analysis: Hint's progress charts correlate your food log with your blood pressure readings over time, showing you which dietary changes are producing the largest measurable improvements.
Most people who follow a structured Indian diet plan for high blood pressure for 8 weeks reduce their systolic BP by 6 to 10 mmHg. Those who combine it with regular exercise and a Hint Premium dietitian reviewing their logs weekly consistently achieve results at the higher end of that range.
All Hint Plans Include
- Personalised DASH-aligned Indian diet plan (vegetarian, ovo-veg, or non-veg)
- Daily sodium, potassium, calcium, and magnesium tracking
- 300+ Pro Workout routines: strength, yoga, and cardio for all fitness levels
- Guided exercise animations and in-app calorie tracking, no wearable needed
- BP and weight progress charts updated with each food log entry
Download Hint on iOS or Android and log your first day of this plan today.
Upgrade to Hint Premium to unlock your dedicated registered dietitian, who will take this 7-day plan and turn it into a personalised, continuously updated programme designed around your blood pressure, your kitchen, and your life.
7-Day Plan: Quick Reference Rules to Pin on Your Fridge
| Rule | Detail |
|---|---|
| Salt | ¼ tsp maximum across all dishes per day. No table salt, no commercial achaar, no papad. |
| Water | 8 to 10 glasses per day. Plain water or unsalted chaach between meals. |
| Dal | At every main meal (lunch and dinner). Rotate varieties: masoor, moong, arhar, rajma, chana. |
| Fruit | At least 2 servings per day. Always include a banana (potassium) or an amrood (guava). |
| Dahi | 200g plain, unsweetened, low-fat dahi every day. No flavoured or packaged yogurt. |
| Oil | 3 to 4 tsp cold-pressed mustard or groundnut oil per day total. No fried food. |
| Snacks | Unsalted nuts, makhana, or fresh fruit only. No namkeen, biscuits, or chips. |
| Beverages | Green tea or hibiscus tea preferred. Chai is limited to 1 cup, 1 tsp sugar maximum. |
| Portions | Roti: 2 per meal. Rice: ½ cup cooked. Dal: 1 katori. Dahi: 200g. Salad: as much as you like. |
References
- Appel LJ et al. (1997). A clinical trial of the effects of dietary patterns on blood pressure. New England Journal of Medicine, 336(16), 1117-1124.
- Sacks FM et al. (2001). Effects on blood pressure of reduced dietary sodium and the DASH diet. New England Journal of Medicine, 344(1), 3-10.
- He, FJ & MacGregor GA (2013). Salt reduction lowers cardiovascular risk: meta-analysis of outcome trials. BMJ, 346, f1325.
- Blumenthal JA et al. (2010). Effects of the DASH diet alone and in combination with exercise on blood pressure and cardiovascular biomarkers. Archives of Internal Medicine, 170(2), 126-135.
- Siervo M et al. (2015). Effects of the DASH diet on cardiovascular risk factors: a systematic review and meta-analysis. British Journal of Nutrition, 113(1), 1-15.
- Poorolajal J et al. (2017). Oral potassium supplementation for management of essential hypertension. JRSM Cardiovascular Disease, 6.
- Johnson C et al. (2017). Potential societal savings from reducing sodium intake in India. BMJ Open, 7(1), e013773.
About the Author
Hafsaa Farooq is a Consultant Dietitian at Clearcals with a strong passion for nutrition, fitness, and evidence-based health practices.
She is deeply interested in clinical nutrition and enjoys helping individuals build healthier lifestyles through practical dietary guidance.
Beyond her professional work, Hafsaa enjoys developing healthy recipes, writing evidence-based nutrition blogs, and staying active through sports.
She is also expanding her expertise in the science of exercise and weight training to better support holistic health and fitness goals.
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