## 1 Introduction  
High systolic blood pressure (SBP), a cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factor, was responsible for the most significant number of all-cause deaths between 2000-2017 [1]. Globally, hypertensive heart disease accounts for over 460,000 deaths annually, whilst contributing to a loss of more than 2.8 million Disability-adjusted life years (DALYS) amongst Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) [1]. Dietary risk factors, such as high sodium intake and low wholegrain intake, further contribute to DALYs linked with hypertension [1]. In low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), prevalence of adult hypertension continues to rise compared to high-income countries, and continues to fall behind in terms of education and treatment, hence creating health disparities [2]. In Bangladesh, a LMIC in Southeast Asia (SEA), studies have revealed hypertension as a concern amongst adults, with increasing prevalence amongst certain sub-populations, such as working adults, the elderly and those living in rural areas [3,4]. A systematic review [5] reported an overall weighted pooled prevalence of 20.0%. [PERSON] et al. [4] reported stage 1 high blood pressure (systolic blood pressure \(\geq\) 130 mmHg or diastolic blood pressure (DBP) \(\geq\) 80 mmHg, or taking antihypertensive medications) in the same location as the current research was conducted in to be 40% in 2016. The WHO recommends that sodium consumption should not exceed 5 g/day to prevent cardiovascular disease [6], whilst the Bangladesh Dietary Guidelines recommends-fruit consumption between 1-3 servings daily, with one serving being approximately 80 g [7]. Lifestyle changes, such as dietary modification, have been shown to have positive effects on CVD risk factors [8]. For instance, reduction in dietary sodium intake can help manage high blood pressure and improve health outcomes by decreasing, or slowing, complications associated with high blood pressure and other CVDs [9; 10; 11; 12; 13; 14; 15]. Higher fruit and vegetable intake has been shown to result in lower SBP overall; however. their effects may be dependent on type of fruit or vegetable consumed and cooking method [16; 17]. The cardioprotective effects of fruit and vegetable consumption may be linked to high dietary fiber, and mineral and antioxidant contents amongst these foods [18; 19]. Diets that are high in a combination of fruit, vegetables, wholegrains, legumes, seeds, nuts, fish and dairy have been found to lower SBP and DBP [20], hence, suggesting that a combination of multiple dietary modifications may provide better improvements to BP compared with individual dietary modifications. The Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet is one such diet that employs multiple dietary elements, with its emphasis on high vegetable and fruit intake and low-fat dairy products, and has been demonstrated to have positive effects on BP [21; 22]. [PERSON] et al. [23] studied the effects of varied dietary sodium intake and the DASH diet on BP amongst US hypertensive and non-hypertensive adults in a randomized, controlled trial, revealing that those who followed a low sodium DASH diet had significantly greater reductions in systolic and diastolic blood pressure compared to those who followed a reduced sodium or DASH diet alone. The study revealed that a combination of low sodium and DASH diet reduced SBP amongst people who were hypertensive by 11.5 mmHg and 7.1 mmHg amongst those who were non-hypertensive (\(p=0.004\)). In LMICs, the impact of behavioral risk factors, such as poor diet and tobacco use, are more pronounced and linked with greater mortality, compared to high-income countries [24]. As a result, the WHO [25] called for an extension of the Global Action Plan for the Prevention and Control of NCDs to 2030. The plan includes a 30% mean reduction in population sodium intake and a 25% reduction in blood pressure prevalence, whilst pharmacological intervention is recommended for persons with SBP \(\geq\) 140 or DBP \(\geq\) 90 mmHg [26].