What is DASH Diet?

The DASH Diet, which stands for dietary approaches to stop hypertension, is promoted by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute to do exactly that: stop (or prevent) hypertension, aka high blood pressure. It emphasizes the foods you’ve always been told to eat (fruits, veggies, whole grains, lean protein and low-fat dairy), which are high in blood pressure-deflating nutrients like potassium, calcium, protein and fiber. DASH also discourages foods that are high in saturated fat, such as fatty meats, full-fat dairy foods and tropical oils, as well as sugar-sweetened beverages and sweets. Following DASH also means capping sodium at 2,300 milligrams a day, which followers will eventually lower to about 1,500 milligrams. DASH Diet is balanced and can be followed long term, which is a key reason nutrition experts rank it as U.S. News’ Best Overall Diet, tied with the Mediterranean Diet.

Pros & Cons

How does DASH Diet work?

Starting DASH doesn’t mean making drastic changes overnight. Instead, begin by making whatever small changes seem most manageable to you. For example:

• Add one vegetable or fruit serving to every meal.
• Introduce two or more meat-free meals each week.
• Use herbs and spices to make food tastier without the salt.
• Snack on almonds or pecans instead of a bag of chips.
• Switch white flour to whole-wheat flour when possible.
• Take a 15-minute walk after lunch or dinner (or both).

Link to DASH diet website : https://healthyeating.nhlbi.nih.gov/default.aspx