If you are looking for guidelines for a lifelong healthy eating plan, a DASH diet food plan may be for you. MayoClinic.com notes that following a Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension, or DASH, diet may lead to multiple health benefits for almost anyone. Before you start any new diet program, talk to your doctor about your health concerns.
Background
Following a DASH diet meal plan may reduce your risk for hypertension if you have normal blood pressure, or help you lower your blood pressure if it is high. High blood pressure, or hypertension, is dangerous and can lead to heart disease, kidney disease or stroke. You may use a regular DASH diet, or if you already have high blood pressure, you might want to try a DASH-sodium diet food plan because it is lower in salt.
Foods and Nutrition
The DASH diet focuses on whole grains, fruits, vegetables and low-fat dairy products such as low-fat milk and yogurt. It is high in essential nutrients such as vitamins, minerals and dietary fiber, and most of your fats on a DASH diet come from heart-healthy unsaturated fats. The regular DASH diet recommends staying under 2,300 mg of sodium each day, while the DASH-sodium diet limits you to 1,500 mg.
DASH Recommendations
The number of daily servings from each food group that you should have on a DASH diet depends on your calorie needs. The National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute states that an individual on a 2,000-calorie DASH diet should have 7 to 8 servings of grains, 4 to 5 servings each of fruit and vegetables, 2 to 3 servings each of low-fat dairy products and healthy fats and oils, and up to 2 servings of lean protein foods each day. Each week, have 4 to 5 servings of nuts, seeds and beans and up to five servings of sweets.
Other Benefits
The DASH diet may help you control your blood pressure, but it also has other potential health benefits. MayoClinic.com states that the DASH diet food plan may reduce your risk for heart disease, diabetes and osteoporosis. It may reduce your blood cholesterol levels because it emphasizes unsaturated fats, while it limits saturated fat and cholesterol. The diet may also help you control your weight because it includes a high amount of filling, low-calorie foods such as fruit, vegetables and fat-free dairy products.
Member Comments