The lifelong eating plan focuses on consuming fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, and whole grains. However, there is no diet that is perfect for everyone. Consider the pros and cons of this eating plan before you begin the diet. The DASH diet has been studied extensively. The original study which introduced the eating plan was published in and showed that the diet helped to reduce high blood pressure in people with normal blood pressure and reduced it even more in those with hypertension. Since that original study was introduced, more recent research has confirmed the findings. In fact, authors of a analysis concluded that “the DASH dietary approach might be the most effective dietary measure to reduce blood pressure among hypertensive and pre-hypertensive patients based on high-quality evidence. And those who follow the eating plan can expect other health benefits. Further research has found that the DASH diet helps to reduce LDL cholesterol, and may improve other cardiovascular risk factors, as well. The DASH diet has been shown to be an effective management strategy for diabetes and research has even shown that the DASH diet may reduce the risk of gout in men. In addition to studies supporting the DASH diet specifically, research has consistently found that reducing your sugar intake, eliminating heavily processed, sodium-rich foods, and increasing your intake of fruits and vegetables leads to a wide range of health benefits.
Follow a diet that has been proven to lower your risk for kidney disease, kidney stones, and heart disease! If you already have chronic kidney disease, you should speak with your kidney doctor and kidney dietitian before starting the DASH diet as you may have special restrictions to consider. This diet should not be used by people on dialysis. People on dialysis have special diet needs that should be discussed with a registered dietitian specializing in kidney disease. Potassium is found in many foods including fruits, vegetables, and low-fat dairy products. The DASH diet also has a moderate amount of sodium, is low in fat, and is high in fiber, potassium, calcium, and magnesium. When you take a look at the DASH diet, it might at first seem hard to reduce the amount of sodium you eat, especially because sodium seems to be found in so many of the foods we eat. Here are a few tips to help keep the sodium to a minimum and eat healthfully on a DASH diet. Instead, add flavor without adding salt. Try: Aromatic vegetables examples: onions, peppers, garlic Flavor with fruit examples: citrus juice and fruit zest Herbs examples: rosemary, parsley, cilantro Spices examples: black pepper, cinnamon, cumin, ginger, nutmeg Read food labels.
The DASH diet emphasizes the right portion sizes, variety of foods and nutrients. Discover how DASH can improve your health and lower your blood pressure. The DASH diet is a lifelong approach to healthy eating that’s designed to help treat or prevent high blood pressure hypertension. The DASH diet encourages you to reduce the sodium in your diet and eat a variety of foods rich in nutrients that help lower blood pressure, such as potassium, calcium and magnesium. By following the DASH diet, you may be able to reduce your blood pressure by a few points in just two weeks. Over time, the top number of your blood pressure systolic blood pressure could drop by eight to 14 points, which can make a significant difference in your health risks. Because the DASH diet is a healthy way of eating, it offers health benefits besides just lowering blood pressure. The DASH diet is also in line with dietary recommendations to prevent osteoporosis, cancer, heart disease, stroke and diabetes. The DASH diet emphasizes vegetables, fruits and low-fat dairy foods — and moderate amounts of whole grains, fish, poultry and nuts. In addition to the standard DASH diet, there is also a lower sodium version of the diet. You can choose the version of the diet that meets your health needs.