DASH To Your Health

As often as I say I don’t recommend or prescribe “diets,” that isn’t true.

I do recommend an overall pattern of eating that is sustainable – something you can do for life no matter where you are.

A diet, by definition, is a pattern of eating. Though many people “diet” as a restrictive way of eating.

People ask what I think of keto, paleo, plant-based, and all those labeled diets.

People ask me to “give them a diet,” which I don’t. It is amusing when someone asks for a diet that is a combination of opposite diets, like a plant-based keto diet or a high-fiber carnivore diet.

However, there is one diet that I will recommend, and that is the DASH Eating Plan.

DASH Eating Plan

DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) is a flexible and balanced eating plan that helps create a heart-healthy eating style for life.

DASH - Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension - is a heart-healthy eating style for life.

While it was initially studied for helping blood pressure health (reducing hypertension), it is appropriate for anyone who wants a healthy eating pattern.

The DASH eating plan requires no special foods and provides daily and weekly nutritional goals.

This plan recommends:

Eating vegetables, fruits, and whole grains
Including fat-free or low-fat dairy products, fish, poultry, beans, nuts, and vegetable oils
Limiting foods high in saturated fat, such as fatty meats, full-fat dairy products, and tropical oils such as coconut, palm kernel, and palm oils.
Limiting sugar-sweetened beverages and sweets

The DASH eating plan is just one essential part of a heart-healthy lifestyle. Combining it with other lifestyle changes, such as physical activity, can help you control your blood pressure and LDL-cholesterol (the so-called “bad” cholesterol) for life.

Health Benefits of the DASH Eating Plan

For nearly 30 years, the NHLBI (National Heart Lung and Blood Institute) has funded several studies to see whether specific dietary changes helped to treat high blood pressure. For example, several studies investigated the health benefits of the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet by comparing it with the typical American diet or different variations of the DASH diet and sodium intake. Another NHLBI-funded study, the PREMIER clinical trial, measured the health benefits (such as weight loss and reduced blood pressure) of following the DASH diet and increasing physical activity.

These studies and others show that the DASH diet:

lowers blood pressure,
improves the lipid panel,
helps people lose weight, and
reduces the risk of Type 2 diabetes and heart disease.

The results have also shaped the NHLBI’s DASH eating plan recommendation, which includes following a DASH diet with reduced sodium intake for the most significant effect on lowering blood pressure.

To help make lifelong lifestyle changes, try making one change at a time and add another when you have successfully adopted the earlier changes. When you practice several healthy lifestyle habits, you are more likely to achieve and maintain healthy blood pressure and cholesterol levels.

Managing sodium intake is just one part of the equation.

Controlling Daily Sodium and Calories

To get the most significant benefit from the proven DASH eating plan, it is essential to limit daily sodium levels to 2,300 mg or 1,500 mg if desired and consume the appropriate number of calories to maintain a healthy weight or lose weight if needed.

But controlling sodium is just one part of the equation. There is another crucial component: potassium.

Increasing Daily Potassium

The DASH eating plan is designed to be rich in potassium, with a target of 4,700 mg potassium daily, to enhance the effects of reducing sodium on blood pressure.

Most people have this relationship between sodium and potassium out of balance. We get too much sodium and need more potassium. If we got more potassium in the diet, sodium would naturally come down too.

Here is an example of a 2,000-calorie diet on the DASH Eating Plan:

Grains (whole grains) 6-8 servings daily
Meat, poultry, and fish 6 servings daily or less
Vegetables 4-5 servings daily
Fruit 4-5 servings daily
Low-fat or fat-free dairy products 2-3 servings daily
Fats and oils 2-3 servings daily
Sodium <2,300 mg/day (1,500 mg is better)
Nuts, seeds, dry beans, and peas 4-5 serving weekly
Sweets 5 or fewer weekly

Remember that you may need less than 2,000 calories daily (or more), so reduce the servings of sweets, then grains and meats, and keep the vegetables higher.

Getting Started on DASH

Consider what you are doing now and start with one aspect of the eating plan. Here are some ideas:

Adding more servings of fruits and vegetables each day. This would naturally increase potassium and reduce sodium.
Track your sodium intake and see how much you are getting.
Ensure you get 4-5 servings of nuts, seeds, dry beans, and peas.

Start where you can, then add something more (or less in a couple of weeks).

If you want help with your eating plan, managing a health condition, and feeling great, schedule a FREE 30-minute introductory call to discuss it.