Does The DASH Diet Work?

Have you tried the DASH diet plan? It’s amazing how many people have never heard of this very effective and very healthy diet.

What is a DASH Diet? A Dietary Approach to Stop Hypertension

What is the DASH diet? DASH stands for Dietary Approaches for Stopping Hypertension. It was developed by the US National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute as part of a campaign to improve the health of hypertensive people. The DASH diet consists of a list of twenty-six foods or food groups that are recommended to be eaten by people who are at risk for hypertension.

The DASH list is broken down into four sections: fruits, vegetables, nuts, dairy products, and legumes. The foods are separated according to how much sodium, fat, potassium, and cholesterol they contain. Fats per day are the most important element of the DASH diet, because the amount of fat increases with the amount of sodium and the amount of potassium decreases with the amount of dairy products. Because of this, it is recommended that you consume no more than six servings of fruits and vegetables per day and one serving of nuts and legumes per day.  These changes in diet will increase your weight loss.

This Diet Watches Your Overall Health

Many people who follow the DASH diet believe that foods high in potassium can lower blood pressure, but there is some evidence to suggest otherwise. For instance, bananas contain an abundance of potassium but do not seem to have an effect on blood pressure at all. The reason for this may be that people with low blood pressure need a little bit of potassium in their diet. If a person eats a banana every day, however, they could quickly reach their daily potassium intake requirement without having too many side effects. As a matter of fact, some doctors recommend limiting the intake of bananas altogether in patients diagnosed with high blood pressure.

The DASH diet consists of a list of twenty-six common foods, divided into three categories. The first category, “lean meats,” includes poultry, fish, eggs, and small red and white potatoes. The second category, “non-starchy vegetables,” includes such vegetables as spinach, kale, cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, brussel sprouts, celery, and carrots. The third category, “herbal medicines,” includes herbs like alfalfa, sage, tarragon, oregano, parsley, marjoram, and thyme. The DASH list of foods containing the minimum amount of sodium each day is also broken down by price, to help people make informed decisions about purchasing lower sodium products.

DASH Can Lower Blood Pressure

Many people are encouraged to adopt the DASH dietary pattern in order to lower their blood pressure before it gets out of control. Hypertension is the most common type of high blood pressure and can develop in people of all ages. In fact, thirty million Americans suffer from hypertension- twenty-three percent of them are at risk of developing serious heart problems, according to the World Health Organization. People who have been hypertensive for years may be carrying around excess sodium deposits in their arteries. By eating lower sodium foods, they can keep their blood pressure lower, even if they never have to use prescription drugs or treatment for hypertension.

The DASH eating plan was devised in recognition of the fact that most hypertensive patients do not eat a low sodium diet, even when recommended by their doctors. This is because too many of them continue to eat foods that are very high in sodium- regardless of what the doctor says. So a low sodium diet was created as an alternative to the DASH dietary approach to stop hypertension. But as you can see, there are many different dietary approaches to stop hypertension- not just a single one. You will want to talk with your doctor and a nutritionist to determine which dietary approach will work best for you.