The DASH Diet
The DASH Diet
The DASH Diet: is being lauded by doctors, registered dietitians, and many celebrities. It was specifically created to lower High Blood Pressure but is proving to be also good for losing weight.
DASH stands for:
Dietary
Approaches
Stop
Hypertension
The Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension Diet can:
1. LOWER OF CONTROL HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE
In an analysis of combined results of 17 separate but same scientific studies, found that the DASH Diet lowers systolic blood pressure by 6.74 mmHg and diastolic blood pressure by 3.54 mmHg, and that following a low-calorie version of the diet lowers blood pressure even more.
2. Curb cravings for animal foods. DASH has you eating less and leaner meat, poultry & seafood – 6oz a day. You can sub one egg for 1-ounce of meat, and you can have 2 – 3 servings of low-fat dairy.
3. Help you learn how to cook! Or do it more often. You have a lot of choices in foods in the DASH diet but, you do have to shop for fresh food more often and cook more meals at home replacing salt with herbs and spices. (Eating out can be challenging, as lots of restaurant food is loaded with sodium).
4. Give you ENERGY! Your blood glucose stays on a good steady level with DASH, which keeps your energy up and stable throughout the day. A lot of people’s diets make their sugar levels spike or drop too fast and too high and too low.
5. Can help you improve your nutrition!
This diet helps you pick more fruits, vegetables, nuts, legumes, and whole grains. These foods are not only clean and rich in the nutrients, but they are high in fiber, potassium and magnesium, which help control or prevent high blood pressure, regulate blood and nerve functions and support your digestive health. You’ll also easily get 4 -5 servings a day of Veggies!
The only downsides if you look at them that way, are that you need to prepare more if not most of your meals, (COOK!) and that you might at first have bouts of bloating and gas. This happens to some people whose digestive system can’t handle the effects of the large amount of beans and grains for which the DASH Diet calls.
You might wonder if you’d get enough protein with the lesser amount of animal protein. Yes, you should. The DASH diet allots for about 60 grams of protein for 2,000 calories. The Grains, legumes and nuts in the diet have a good deal of protein and compliment or add to the animal foods.
The DASH diet is balanced, accommodating, and realistically doable.
It includes common, everyday foods that are delicious and good for kids and adults- carnivorous, pescatarians, vegetarian.
Just remember, it is for low-sodium and clean eating, and does not in and of itself offer a calorie deficit (calorie restriction). In other words, YOU have to count your calories. But it’s way easier with this diet and nutritious.
