FTC disclaimer: This post may contains affiliate links and we will be compensated if you click on a link and make a purchase.
If you have high blood pressure and need to make lifestyle changes to lower your blood pressure, the DASH Diet will help you achieve that goal.
The DASH Diet stands for Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension and is recommended by most doctors and nutritionists.
Dash diet is designed to change your eating habits, which some patients find overwhelming.
The concept, or rather the DASH diet plan, was developed and promoted by the United States Government Organization NIH (National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute) to stop/control Hypertension.
While medicines control blood pressure, they have their own side effects.
In this context, the DASH diet comes as a savior; it claims to tame your blood pressure and helps reduce the associated health risks by incorporating the diet into your lifestyle.
Pros of DASH Diet
Among most adult populations in developed countries, Hypertension is a disease that increases drastically with age.
In the US, the risk of Hypertension is 10-50% in people from 30 to 60 years of age. As regards morbidity, it increases with an increase in blood pressure.
The DASH diet is recommended by various medical organizations in the US, such as The American Heart Association, The National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, USDA MyPyramid, and the Dietary Guidelines for Americans.
What is DASH Diet Plan?
The DASH diet, which stands for Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension, is recommended for the entire family and is proven to be effective in lowering blood pressure in a matter of just 14 days.
There are two types of DASH diet plans; the regular DASH diet and the DASH sodium diet.
Both these aim at giving total nutrition to the body while controlling blood pressure, but the latter is strictly for those who will require to reduce sodium in their diet (low salt or low sodium diet).
Research has shown that reductions in sodium intake correlated with decreases in blood pressure.
This hypertension-taming DASH diet consists of fruits, veggies, dairy food with low fat, cholesterol, sodium, saturated and total fat.
The DASH diet meal is rich in fiber, potassium, magnesium & calcium.
DASH Diet Guidelines
The DASH diet meal plan endorses low-fat dairy food, fruits, and veggies while restricting calories in the day.
The main feature of the DASH diet is that the blood pressure is reduced rapidly with a combination of milk products and fruits and vegetables.
Despite the low-fat dairy product being the main ingredient of the DASH diet, 1oz of high-fat cheese in three servings per day is a part of the diet.
A few guidelines of the DASH diet menu:
- The diet includes a minimum of 4-5 servings of fruits and vegetables a day
- Three servings of low-fat dairy product
- 7-8 servings of grains
- Two servings of non-vegetarian food
- Fat/oils should be around 2-3 servings
- Weekly, one needs to consume 4-5 serves of nuts, seeds, and legumes
- The sweet consumption should not exceed five serves a week (foods with little or no sugar as best, although sugar from fruits is considered natural and beneficial)
- Avoid or at least use moderation on alcohol consumption.
The other essential considerations of the DASH diet plan are that sodium consumption should not go beyond 2,300 mg, saturated fat consumption should not cross 6%, and intake of carbohydrates should be around 55% per day.
Also, a third of the United States’ adult population is a victim of high blood pressure.
If Hypertension is not treated, it could jeopardize your longevity by increasing the risk of stroke and other heart-related severe conditions.
Benefits of Following DASH Diet Plan
Consumption of low sodium
One of the main characteristics of the DASH diet is the consumption of low sodium, and this feature resolves so many associated ailments other than lowering the blood pressure alone.
It improves the markers of bone mineral loss and boosts the calcium build-up in the bone.
Low intake of Fat and Fiber
The DASH diet is low in fat and more fiber, which helps in keeping the digestive system toxic-free.
Besides, consuming high-fiber foods also reverses any memory drain with age and improves mental agility that slows down with age.
Several studies state that high blood pressure indirectly leads a person to Dementia and Alzheimer’s, so following the DASH diet regimen can keep disorders at bay.
Not only that, but the DASH diet has also shown remarkable results in reducing cognitive deterioration.
Improves calcium metabolism
Following the DASH diet improves calcium metabolism in adults.
The diet is partly connected to phytochemicals, which help cure not only heart ailments but also reduce the risk of cardiovascular threats and even protect from certain types of cancers and chronic health conditions.
Reduce stroke and kidney stones
Apart from reducing the cholesterol levels for a healthy heart, it helps in reducing the risk of getting stroke and kidney stones.
Reduce weight
The DASH diet is low-fat, low-sodium, low-cholesterol, and low-calorie oriented. So it is not surprising that it effectively reduces weight and can be a great weight loss diet regimen.
Increase insulin sensitivity
Non-pharmacologic management of Hypertension with the DASH diet also increases insulin sensitivity.
The Dash diet is replete with nutrients (calcium, magnesium, and potassium) associated with improved insulin sensitivity. So the risk of diabetes is reduced in those who follow the lifestyle with the DASH.
Dash Diet For Weight Loss
The Dash diet is known to work effectively in controlling Hypertension, but following the diet can help reduce stroke, heart ailments, and even kidney stones.
The Dash diet also helps in weight reduction, as per Dash diet research. Moreover, people who have followed this diet plan have given feedback with 10-15 pounds of weight loss.
The best part of the diet plan is that it helps people who cannot forego the medication for Hypertension. Further, it responds positively to the medication and reduces blood pressure.
If followed by a weight loss program and exercise, the Dash diet reduces cholesterol levels and lowers insulin resistance.
How much weight can you reduce with Dash Diet?
Individuals who have been following the Dash diet have reported a 10-15 pounds loss. One of the obvious reasons for weight reducing effect is that the diet plan says a strict no-no to high-calorie intake.
The diet aims at minimal sodium intake, fat-free food, and high consumption of fibrous products such as fruits, vegetables, grains, nuts, etc.
The dietary plan is designed to consume only healthy stuff with limited calorie consumption, a natural way to reduce excess weight.
It is a known fact that men/women who want to reduce weight need to follow a low-calorie diet and the Dash diet does that and much more.
Following the diet plan for beginners might be difficult, but the concentrated effort and significant improvement in your lifestyle should sustainably motivate you to follow the Dash diet.
The primary purpose of developing the Dash diet plan was to control Hypertension. But later on, it proved to give superb results in various health conditions, and weight loss was one such condition.
The Dash Diet, a combo diet, offers less saturated fats and cholesterol. You need to have an optimal serving of fruits and vegetables, which lowers sodium and increases potassium.
So, the Dash diet is a remedy for Hypertension and helps in weight loss.
Can Vegetarians Adopt DASH Diet Meal?
The Dash diet is approved and recommended by the American Heart Association and is an integral part of the health guidelines all across the globe.
Many people believe that the Dash diet meal plan contains non-vegetarian products, but that is not the case.
The diet was initially designed as a vegetarian diet, as ardent vegetarians have low blood pressure. However, the research did include fish, poultry, meat, etc., to prove the efficacy of the diet program.
But it is acceptable to follow the vegetarian pattern for the diet, and one can be assured of achieving the same positive results.
The DASH diet meal plan includes lots of vegetables and fruits, increasing potassium levels, and lowering sodium levels. Reduced sodium implies reduced “vascular tension” Thus, Hypertension is at bay.
Still better, you may include those vegetables and fruits that battle the blood pressure.
Oranges, bananas, blackberries, carrots, tomatoes are all low in sodium and good sources of potassium naturally.
Also, the DASH diet meal plan includes the consumption of a good amount of low-fat dairy foods, low-fat/oil consumption, fiber-rich fruits, and vegetables, which is the basis for the diet program.
And to compensate with non-vegetarian food, one can switch to nuts, grains, legumes, or seeds, which are equally beneficial. You cannot agree that there is no better vegetarian diet program than the vegetarian DASH diet meal plan.
DASH Diet Menus For A Day
The primary principle of the DASH diet is to contain sodium intake, which is one of the prominent reasons to shoot up blood pressure.
DASH diet menu, on the whole, concentrates on the consumption of poultry, fish, veggies, fruits, nuts, and grains.
So the food taken will be of low fat, low cholesterol, and low calories, which means fat-shy dairy products, no red meats, sweets, and sugar.
Sample DASH Diet Menus – To Make Things Simple For Your
DASH Diet Sample Menu For Breakfast :
One whole-wheat bagel
- Two spoons of peanut butter
- An orange, a cup of fat-free milk, and your regular coffee.
DASH Diet Sample Menu For Lunch :
Spinach Salad
- Spinach salad made with four cups of spinach leaves, one chopped pear
- Half a cup of mandarin orange
- The salad will be a quarter cup of unsalted peanuts and two teaspoons of fat-free red wine vinaigrette.
- Twelve unsalted wheat crackers and a cup of zero fat milk should be good for lunch.
DASH Diet Sample Menus For Dinner:
Herb-crusted baked cod
- 3oz of one serving should be sufficient
- 1/3 brown rice, 1/3 steamed beans, one sourdough roll
- One spoon of margarine (fat-free), one cup of berries, and herbal iced tea will serve as a perfect dinner.
The snacks will include a dried nuts mixture of almonds, apricots, or peanuts and avoid high-salted and high-calories league of chips and the stuff.
Take the crux of the DASH diet menu like this: Cut down on the fats, double as much your intake of vegetables and fruits, and eat low-fat dairy products.
The diet program advocates the consumption of any specialty foods whatsoever, and you could get these on the shelves of any supermarket.
That being said, a person should keep tobacco and alcohol at a distance and limit to a minimum.
Wrap-up
Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension or Dash diet is reckoned as the most natural way of reducing Hypertension.
NIH (National Institutes of Health) developed the wondrous diet program initially for reducing/controlling high blood pressure. Still, lately, more studies and trials surrounding the DASH diet unearthed several exciting things it can do.
Dash (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) diet works wonders to stop high blood pressure.
Many health organizations around the world recommend it. No diet plan/program has such a backup from many recognized organizations. The Dash diet thus is supported and prescribed to everyone for a healthier lifestyle.
