The study, published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, analyzed data from more than 4,500 people. Researchers followed the participants for more than 13 years to see how Dash diet, or the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension, makes changes in their blood pressure. 

The eating plan focuses on fruits, vegetables, nuts, whole grains, poultry, fish and low-fat dairy products. The study states that there are certain foods that people should remove from their daily meals to maintain proper blood pressure.

Researchers said salt, red meat and sugar-sweetened foods and beverages could ruin the effects of the Dash diet. The diet also recommends reducing intake of full cream and alcoholic beverages, MarketWatch reported Thursday.

Sodium is one of the most consumed ingredients in the list. People should look at the nutritional value or ingredients of their meals when eating outside of the house.

Americans get more than 75 percent of their daily sodium intake from processed food and restaurant food. 

“Excess sodium can increase your blood pressure and your risk for a heart disease and stroke,” according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). “Together, heart disease and stroke kill more Americans each year than any other cause.” 

Another highly consumed food that is linked to stroke is artificially sweetened beverages. A study in 2015 showed that older women who consume two or more diet sodas per day have a 30 percent higher risk of cardiovascular problems. 

In the latest study, researchers found that the health benefits of the Dash diet also promote better heart health. People who avoided the said potentially harmful foods are less likely to suffer from heart failure and hypertension at the same time. 

“Only a few prior studies have examined the effects of the Dash diet on the incidence of heart failure, and they have yielded conflicting results,” Claudia Campos, associate professor of general internal medicine at Wake Forest School of Medicine in North Carolina, said. “Following the Dash diet can reduce the risk of developing heart failure by almost half.”