Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) is a lifelong approach of consciously eating healthy to prevent and treat various health conditions like hypertension or high blood pressure. The DASH diet is designed to reduce the intake of sodium and encourages you to eat a variety of foods rich in nutrients like magnesium, calcium, and potassium, which helps in lowering blood pressure.
With adherence to this diet, you will be able to reduce your blood pressure by a few points within a matter of just two weeks. According to research, following the DASH diet can help in bringing down the systolic blood pressure by 8-14 points, which can make a significant difference in your health.
Since this diet is a healthy way of eating, it offers an array of health benefits in addition to lowering your blood pressure. Today, the DASH diet is also becoming a recommendation for the prevention of other medical conditions like diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and osteoporosis. By design, the diet emphasizes highly on a variety of foods, nutrients, and the right portion sizes.
1. Management of sodium levels through this diet
This diet emphasizes the consumption of fruits, vegetables, and low-fat dairy foods. A moderate amount of whole grains, fish, poultry, and nuts are also included in this diet. Further, the management of sodium levels is a key consideration when following a DASH diet.
Based on your health condition and requirements, you can follow any of the two versions of this diet to manage the sodium levels:
- Standard DASH diet
You will be able to consume up to 2,300 mg of sodium per day
- Low-sodium DASH diet
You will be allowed to consume up to 1,500 mg sodium per day
It is to be noted that both versions of this diet reduces the amount of sodium in comparison to the regular American diet, in which one can consume up to 3,400 mg sodium per day. According to the recommendation of the American Heart Association, an adult’s daily intake of sodium should not surpass 1,500 mg a day. The recommendation of the standard DASH diet meets the dietary guidelines for Americans to restrict the daily sodium intake to less than 2,300 mg a day.
2. What can be eaten when following this diet?
Typically, a DASH diet plan should include a lot of whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and low-fat dairy products. You can also include fish, poultry, and legumes as per the dietary recommendations. You can also consume red meat, sweets, and fats in smaller portions. This diet plan should always low in saturated fat, trans fat, and total fat.
You should always keep in mind that healthy eating isn’t an all-or-nothing proposition. To make your DASH diet a life-long practice, ensure that you avoid boredom and extremes. Always try to eat healthier with plenty of varieties.