If you’ve ever decided to try out dieting, you know that there are an overwhelming number of choices to pick from – keto, paleo, calorie restriction, intermittent fasting, the juice cleanse, the watermelon diet, and so it goes on and on. This makes it difficult to choose the right diet plan, especially because diets typically take some time to actually show results. Plus, it doesn’t help that there is so much conflicting information out there. One person may swear by a certain diet and another has nothing but bad things to say about it and all it does is leave you confused.
Well, if you’re in the same boat, you’ve landed on the right page. The DASH diet, standing for “Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension”, maybe the answer to your woes. This is a diet plan that actually has the backing of science and may be one of the only few diets that actually work as promised. It was even named the best diet for eight consecutive years!
The DASH Diet in Detail
As mentioned above, DASH stands for “Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension”. It was formulated by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute with the idea of optimal heart health. The diet has been said to show results in as little as two weeks. And research suggests that the diet can also lower LDL (or “bad”) cholesterol levels in the blood, which reduces the risk of heart disease and stroke.
“This eating plan is based on research that shows that the diet can help lower high blood pressure levels, help improve cholesterol levels, and decrease your risk of heart disease,” says Amy Gorin, MS, RDN, owner of Amy Gorin Nutrition in New York. “Other research in the Polish Heart Journal shows that people following the DASH diet had improved blood pressure and body-fat levels.”
However, contrary to what one might think, this diet isn’t just for people with cardiovascular issues. While it does focus on cultivating heart-healthy eating habits, it also takes care of the whole body. DASH is perfect for people of all genders and varying ages – after all, everyone has a heart and they need to keep it healthy!
Advantages of the DASH Diet
The DASH diet is a complete nutritional plan that focuses on wholesome food that is beneficial to the heart and the whole body. Not only does it promote cardiovascular health, it is also beneficial for people who are diagnosed with or are cautious of illnesses such as diabetes, gout, and kidney disease.
The DASH diet can also be the perfect plan to follow if you’re looking to lose weight. Since it focuses on maximizing the consumption of healthy foods, you will be able to get adequate nutrition even when combined with calorie restrictions. But a DASH diet will also work without calorie restriction because of the limitations placed on foods that typically cause weight gain, such as those high in sugars and trans-fat.
Foods to Eat in the DASH Diet
Since this is a diet plan that works for pretty much everyone, there’s little restriction on who can try it out. According to Gorin, it works for everyone! “Almost everyone would benefit from cutting back on sodium and eating more produce,” she says.
The TL;DR version of this is that the DASH diet focuses on making people eat the healthiest foods they possibly can while avoiding unhealthy foods.
The DASH diet is very flexible, which means people can customize it to their personal liking. Eating lots of fresh fruits, vegetables, and whole grains is a given. Overall, people are encouraged to focus on foods that are rich in potassium, calcium, and magnesium as they help control blood sugar, and avoid eating foods high in added sugars or saturated fat.
There is also a major emphasis on how much sodium is consumed. On average, the diet of a typical American contains a massive 3,400 mg of sodium a day. Compared to this, the DASH diet limits sodium intake to 2,300 mg a day – the amount of sodium that you’d get from a teaspoon of table salt. Another version of the DASH diet restricts sodium intake to just 1,500 mg a day and can be a good choice for people who need to severely cut down.
“The eating plan focuses on reducing sodium intake and eating more fruits and vegetables,” says Gorin. “It also emphasizes eating whole foods — such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, fish, poultry, beans, nuts, and vegetable oils — and limits foods high in saturated fat. That includes fatty meats, full-fat dairy, and tropical oils like palm kernel oil, palm oil, and coconut oil. It also limits sugar-sweetened beverages and foods.”
A typical day on the DASH diet would contain about 6-8 servings of grains, 4-5 servings of vegetables, 4-5 servings of fruits, 2-3 servings of reduced-fat dairy, 2-3 servings of fats and oils, as well as 1 serving of poultry, fish or lean meats. Over the course of the week, you should aim to take in about 4-5 servings of nuts, seeds, and legumes while limiting the consumption of sweets to about 5 servings or lesser.
The DASH diet isn’t very restrictive, so you can enjoy a wide variety of foods. An example of a DASH diet would be a salad made of your choice of protein and vegetables/fruits, a roasted salmon dinner, or even coconut shrimp!
Here’s what Gorin says she likes to do: “Since the DASH diet emphasizes eating lots of vegetables, I like to make a batch of roasted lemon pepper asparagus to serve alongside a lean protein like tofu. I also find spaghetti squash is a satisfying alternative to pasta.”
Dessert can be a bit tricky to figure out, given the low-sugar, no trans fat thing. However, that doesn’t mean you have to give up on them either. The best and most obvious choice is nature’s own offering – fruits! You can take it a step further and make smoothies or puddings with fruit.
“Nice” cream is a personal favorite of Gorin’s. “By combining frozen bananas and unsweetened cocoa powder, you’ll wind up with a treat that resembles the texture of ice cream yet contains no added sugar and also counts toward your daily fruit servings,” she says.
Other Resources for the DASH Diet
The internet is, of course, one of the best resources we have. A simple web search can bring up so much information and evidence on the DASH diet. You can also search for recipes, meal ideas, or even entire meal plans.
You can also seek out books like Dash Diet Cookbook and The Essential Dash Diet Cookbook for Beginners. Meal plans like A Day-By-Day Dash Diet Weight Loss Plan are also great since they help you follow the DASH diet without much effort.
