What is the DASH Diet?
DASH is an acronym for Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension. Hence the name, this diet is typically best for those who are trying to lower their blood pressure. This is due to the reduced sodium and increased amount of nutrients such as potassium, calcium, and magnesium in the diet. A typical American diet contains 3,400mg of sodium per day but the DASH diet recommends less than 2,300mg of sodium daily; The American Heart Association recommends 1,500mg of sodium for adults a day. The DASH recommended food groups are mainly vegetables, fruits, and low-fat dairy products with a little bit of whole grains, fish, poultry, and nuts. You are “allowed” to eat some red meats, sweets, and fats in small amounts as well.
What are the benefits?
This diet was created to stop hypertension, and therefore, to lower blood pressure which is definitely a benefit! When paired with exercise, it will make your heart stronger so it can pump more blood to the body; the force on your arteries will lower with your blood pressure. Therefore, the DASH diet is considered heart healthy and good for your artery health as well.
What are the downsides?
There aren’t many health downsides to the DASH diet, because it’s relatively flexible. One of the downsides is that there aren’t many support groups for the DASH diet, which may not bother you, but if it does, there definitely are some DASH groups out there but you might have to search. Another one is if you are the type of person that does well with pre-packaged meals or deliverables, this isn’t the one because of how flexible it is, there aren’t many packaged, quick DASH meal options. However, there are meals and snacks that have low sodium and there are ways to prepare them quickly. For example, there are frozen and canned veggies that just need to be heated up, so don’t let this turn you away! Also, keep in mind, the DASH diet is not designed to help you lose weight.
What are some food options and servings to eat on the DASH Diet?
There are so many ways to cook your favorite meals that incorporate DASH!
Grains: 6-8 servings a day of whole wheat bread, whole grain oats, whole wheat pasta - try to keep them whole wheat or whole grain because those are the most nutritious.
Vegetables and Fruits: 4-5 servings a day, if it is difficult for you to cook raw veggies or get fresh fruit, canned or frozen are great options but lean towards the low sodium or no added salt. Also, be careful with canned fruits! They tend to add high fructose corn syrup and other sugars which makes a potentially healthy snack into a very unhealthy one! (check out my article on sugar.)
Dairy: 2-3 servings a day, get low fat or fat free milk, yogurt, etc to make it even healthier! (check out my article on the different kinds of milk.)
Lean meat, poultry, fish: less than 7 servings a day, salmon is a favorite because it is high in omega-3s, antioxidants, protein, and other nutrients
Nuts, seeds, legumes: 4-5 servings a week, in moderation, they make for a great snack!
Fats and oils: 2-3 servings a day, extra-virgin olive oil is always a healthy choice!
Sweets: less than 6 servings a week, check out my Instagram for some ideas!
Alcohol: limit your alcohol intake because it can increase blood pressure which is the opposite of what this diet tries to do - moderation is pertinent here!
According to the Mayo Clinic, “eat healthier foods with plenty of variety — both to keep your diet nutritious and to avoid boredom or extremes. And with the DASH diet, you can have both.” One of the good things about this diet is that it’s relatively unrestrictive because you can have all of the food groups, just in small amounts, moderation is key! Therefore, this is one of the diets, or “way of eating” as I like to say, that I don’t necessarily frown upon. It falls on the “happi” side of the spectrum instead of “scrappi.” If diets just aren’t for you, there are other ways to lower your blood pressure so don’t worry! If you go on the DASH diet to lower your blood pressure, there are also other things you should be doing, such as exercise! Since lowering your blood pressure makes it easier for your heart to pump blood, the DASH diet, when paired with exercise, will make your heart and arteries “happihealthy.”
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