The ‘DASH’ diet stands for Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension. This diet is a plant-based diet and promotes healthy eating, with an end goal of treating and preventing hypertension (high blood pressure).
Studies have confirmed that this diet helps to improve overall health and lower the risks of various health conditions, including cancers, heart disease, diabetes, and depression. This is all made possible as the diet provides an excellent balance of healthy nutrition.
The ‘DASH’ diet encourages you to reduce sodium in your diet and eat a large variety of foods that contain essential nutrients to help lower blood pressure. Some of these nutrients include magnesium, potassium, and calcium.
Lowers Blood Pressure
Research has shown that people following the ‘DASH’ diet see their blood pressure lower within 2 weeks of starting. This can reduce your risks of having to take blood pressure medications which commonly have side effects including irregular bowel movements, fatigue, and nausea.
This diet focuses on fruits and vegetables being paired with healthy protein-filled snacks and meat that will keep you feeling fuller for longer. Whole grains, dairy, nuts, and good fats are also essential and encouraged in this diet as they provide vital nutrients that are essential for your health.
In addition to reducing your sodium intake, this diet also discourages the consumption of refined sugars and processed foods. These foods are mostly high in calories but low in nutrition which means they contribute to problems with weight gain and many other health issues.
DASH Diet Servings
Servings and portion sizing are important in the ‘DASH’ diet and a table has been created to help keep people informed as to what foods and portions they should consume. The serving size and portions are as follows: (based on eating 2,000 calories per day)
- Grains: 7-8 serves per day (Portion: 1 slice bread or ½ cup cooked pasta or rice)
- Fruits: 4-5 serves per day (Portion: ½ cup fresh juice or 1 medium piece of fruit or ¼ cup dried fruit)
- Vegetables: 4-5 serves per day (Portion: ½ cup cooked vegetables)
- Dairy products: 2-3 serves per day (Portion: 1 cup of milk or yogurt)
- Poultry, Fish & Lean meats: 2 or fewer serves per day (Portion: 70g-100g of meat)
- Nuts, Seeds Lentils: 4-5 serves per week (Portion: ½ cup lentils or ¼ cup unsalted nuts)
- Fats and Oils: 2-3 serves per day (Portion: 1 teaspoon vegetable oil)
Since the diet is plant-based it encourages you to replace a few red meat meals a week with alternative foods. Some of these can include lentils, fish or other alternatives to meats like tofu and tempeh. Because changing your diet quickly can cause digestive issues it is important to gradually make changes one food at a time so that you don’t cause any upset to your system.
The ‘DASH’ diet has proven to be successful for many years and in 2018 was ranked the best diet for 8 years in a row by an expert panel of physicians.
Researchers claim that the diet is so successful because it has a healthy balance of food groups and is plant-based with very few preservatives and additives. It is important to speak to your dietician or health care provider before commencing any diets or dietary changes although this diet is considered to be one of the safest available.
