Best Cheese Choices for a High Blood Pressure Diet

If you're a cheese lover with high blood pressure, you might wonder how it fits into your diet, and which cheeses are best. Here, we slice and serve the best cheese choices for a high blood pressure diet.

High Blood Pressure Diet Basics

Blood pressure includes two numbers: The top number is the systolic reading, and the bottom number is the diastolic reading. The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) says you have high blood pressure — also called hypertension — if your systolic reading is consistently 130 mmHg or higher and your diastolic reading is consistently 80 mmHg or higher.

As such, your heart has to work too hard, which causes hardening of your arteries and increases your risk of such leading causes of death as heart attack and stroke.

The good news, according to the NHLBI, is that you can help lower and maintain your target blood pressure (below 120/80 mmHg) through your food choices. One specific heart-healthy diet recommended by the NHLBI for blood pressure is the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet.

Current guidelines from the American College of Cardiology and the American Heart Association, published in August 2025 in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, also strongly recommend this high blood pressure diet to reduce blood pressure.

According to an article in The Nutrition Source, the DASH diet is ideal because it's rich in nutrients like potassium, magnesium, calcium, fiber, and protein, which are linked to lower blood pressure.

According to a 2025 review of research in the American Journal of Preventive Cardiology, eating a DASH diet that's also low in sodium reduces blood pressure even more than a standard DASH diet in people with high blood pressure. So choosing lower-sodium cheeses can be even more beneficial to your health.

Best Cheeses for High Blood Pressure

Swiss, feta, and Parmesan top the list for cheese choices, according to Rosanne Rust, RDN, a registered dietitian and author of the cookbook DASH Diet for Two. “Two tablespoons per serving provides the flavor boost with minimal sodium,” Rust says.

Parmesan and feta cheeses are higher in sodium, though this usually isn’t a problem because their serving size is usually small, so you tend not to get get much sodium overall.

Rust also recommends that you choose ricotta cheese over regular cottage cheese, or — if you must have real cottage cheese — look for low-fat cottage cheese with no salt added. “Some cottage cheese is actually pretty high in sodium compared to ricotta or hard cheeses,” she says.

Ultimately, when considering the best cheese for high blood pressure, Rust says you should read labels, compare brands, and be mindful of portion sizes.

While cheese can be a healthy option for your blood pressure if you eat it in moderation, consider how you eat it. Foods like pepperoni pizza or a burger with American cheese are not the healthiest options. Instead, pair small amounts of cheese with other DASH foods like fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.

For example, smear a bit of part-skim ricotta on whole-grain toast or have a slice of Swiss with fruit.

DASH Diet and Cheese

According to the NHLBI, DASH is a whole-food eating plan high in fruits, veggies, and whole grains that includes lean proteins, nuts, and seeds — plus two to three servings of low-fat dairy each day. The key is choosing the best cheese varieties for your health and limiting each serving size to 1 to 1.5 ounces.

Of the various foods on the DASH diet plan, cheese contributes a good deal of calcium. In fact, the Office of Dietary Supplements lists cheese as one of the top sources of this essential mineral, which regulates how your blood vessels dilate and contract.