DASH Diet

The Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (or DASH) diet is a low-sodium diet whose goal is to manage hypertension. Backed by the Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, the DASH diet relies upon eating a wide variety of nuts, whole grains, fruit, vegetables, poultry, and fish and forgoing red meats and sweets. The resulting diet is quite high in potassium, calcium, and magnesium while being quite low in sodium. Processed foods and “junk” foods are discouraged in this diet plan which provides a handy chart detailing a number of healthy alternatives to low nutrition foods. There are several eating plans available on the DASH diet plan which range from 1600-3100 calories a day.
In 1992 and 1997, several extensive research studies were conducted regarding the DASH diet and its ability to reduce hypertension. These clinical tests revealed that the diet does work and can decrease hypertension. In fact, individuals might see a marked decrease in their blood pressure after following the DASH diet for as little as two weeks. The DASH diet also holds promise as a method of preventing patients susceptible to high blood pressure from developing it in the first place.
The DASH diet is not marketed as a low-calorie, weight loss diet. It is a diet plan, however, that follows well-researched nutritional advice, and could be beneficial for individuals with high blood pressure, as well as for those who are currently healthy but want to be proactive about preventing problems in the future. The complete diet plan along with downloadable recipes, charts, and other materials can be found on the US Government’s Heart, Blood, and Lung Institute website.