The Modified DASH Diet

The dietary approaches to stop hypertension, DASH, diet is an eating plan that emphasizes smart food choices to help reverse or reduce chronic disease. This diet reduces your intake of certain nutrients while emphasizing others. The basic premise is to reduce sodium, cholesterol and saturated fat intake. Other nutrients, such as potassium, calcium and magnesium are emphasized because these may help reduce blood pressure. Foods include lean proteins, low-fat dairy, fruits, vegetables, unsaturated fats and whole-grain carbohydrates. A modified DASH diet makes slight alterations to the sodium and calorie count to gain greater health benefits from this already healthy diet.

Sodium

The DASH diet is all about reducing blood pressure, so it is no surprise it reduces sodium intake. A high level of daily dietary sodium can dramatically increase the blood pressure, even causing hypertension. The standard DASH diet reduces sodium to 2,300 mg per day. The modified DASH diet restricts sodium intake to1,500 mg per day, which should give more dramatic effects.

Calories

Another modification to the DASH diet is to count calories. In the traditional version of the diet, calories are not the focus, but rather the nutritional aspect of your diet. MayoClinic.com suggests reducing calories if your aim is to lose weight. The DASH diet is based on around 2,000 calories per day. To lose weight, consider reducing your intake to 1,600 calories per day.

Benefits

According to a clinical study mentioned in the USDA Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2010, the DASH diet has favorable effects to many aspects of health, especially in comparison to the typical American diet. Clinical evidence finds that the DASH diet not only lowers blood pressure but also lowers cholesterol, the risk of cardiovascular disease and the risk of mortality.

Other Considerations

To improve the health benefits of the DASH diet further, consider adding exercise. Regular physical activity can lower your blood pressure by 5 to 10 mmHg, notes MayoClinic.com. Exercise can also help you lose weight. Incorporate at least 30 minutes of aerobic physical activity into your daily routine. This can include walking, jogging, swimming or biking.