High blood pressure is a common health problem. Have you heard about DASH diet? DASH diet is a healthy diet developed by the US National Institutes of Health, which can prevent and lower high blood pressure and improve heart health.
What is DASH diet?
DASH stands for “Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension”. DASH is a healthy diet plan developed by the US National Institutes of Health, which is designed to lower blood pressure without medication.
(1) What can you eat?
For DASH diet, you are recommended to eat more whole grains, vegetables, fruits, low-fat dairy, fish that are low in fat and cholesterol. And, eat the foods loaded with potassium like bananas. Limit the consumption of sugar, salt and red meat.
(2) DASH diet meal plan (Servings on a 2000 calorie diet per day)
Grains: 7-8 servings
Vegetables: 4-5 servings
Fruits: 3-5 servings
Low-fat/ non-fat dairy foods: 2-3 servings
Lean meat/ fish/ poultry: 2 or fewer servings
Fats, oils, sugar, nuts, seeds and beans: limited
(3) Can you drink alcoholic beverage?
According to DASH diet, an adult woman can consume 1 serving a day and an adult man can consume 2 servings a day. Do not drink high-sugar cocktails. Here are some examples for reference. E.g. 12 oz of beer, 5 oz of wine or 1.5 oz of 80-proof whiskey.
(4) Health benefits of DASH diet
Many studies indicated that DASH diet can help to lose weight and regulate cholesterol, blood pressure. Also, it can reduce the risk of many diseases like stroke, heart disease, kidney stones and Type 2 diabetes.
