DASH Diet: A Heart-Healthy Diet Plan to Lower Blood Pressure
High blood pressure affects many people, and the DASH Diet is a great way to get yours back to a normal level. This diet plan, which stands for Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension, involves relatively simple dietary changes that can have a big impact on your health.
The DASH Diet is backed by scientific studies that found that patients who followed the eating and weight loss regimen significantly reduced their blood pressure in only two weeks. The diet plan requires that dieters eat a certain number of servings each day from the various food groups.
The following is a basic dietary guideline for people who would like to follow the DASH Diet:
Grains: 7-8 daily servings (1 serving = � cup)
Vegetables: 4-5 daily servings (1 serving = 1 cup)
Fruits: 4-5 daily servings (1 serving = 1 cup)
Low-fat or fat-free dairy products: 2-3 daily servings (1 serving = 1 cup)
Meat, poultry and fish: 2 or less daily servings (1 serving = 3 oz)
Fats and oils: 2-3 daily servings (1 serving = 1 tsp.)
In addition, the DASH Diet also suggests that people eat a piece of fruit as a snack, use only half of their normal amount of butter or salad dressing, eat low-fat or fat-free dairy products, limit meat to six ounces per day, opt for low-sodium foods, and carefully read food labels. Because this diet plan contains more servings of fruits and vegetables than most people are used to eating and is high in fiber, some people may experience minor upset stomach at first. Instead of just jumping right into the diet, it's best to slowly incorporate the plan into your daily eating habits.
What's great about this diet is that unlike many other diet plans, it includes a sensible meal plan, does not require any unusual foods, and won't force you to prepare complicated recipes. And if you aren't able to eat the exact amounts of the recommended food groups, don't worry - just try your best to average the proper servings of foods over the course of the week. You'll have lower blood pressure, a trimmer waist line, and more energy in no time!
Not sure that the
Dash Diet is the right diet plan for you? Browse some of our other diet plan options: