The Dash Diet

Do you want to become healthy, strong and beautiful? Follow the Dash diet! The Dash diet was designed to prevent high blood pressure, but it's also low in fat. The Dash diet is based on a 2,000-calorie-a-day meal plan. Check with your healthcare practitioner about whether the Dash diet may be the right diet for you.

The dash diet was found in 1996 to lower blood pressure about the same as a blood pressure medication would, and since that time has quickly become one of the most often prescribed diets in clinical practice today.

It is recommended by the American Heart Association, in the USDA's 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, and is featured in the US High Blood Pressure Guidelines.

With more fruits and vegetables, but otherwise similar to the typical American diet, the dash diet is rich in fruits, vegetables, and low-fat dairy products; moderate in fish, poultry, and nuts; and is reduced in red meat, sweets, and sugar-sweetened drinks.

Certain nutrients in the diet can affect blood pressure. For many years, there has been controversy over whether sodium causes high blood pressure. Past research showed that sodium affected blood pressure in people who were salt-sensitive but had little effect on those who were not. However, new research shows that those who have lower sodium in their diets have lower blood pressure overall, regardless of whether they have high blood pressure.

A diet high in processed or refined foods, such as canned and instant soups, packaged mixes, and snack items, is low in these important nutrients. These foods usually are high in salt as well. By eating fewer processed foods, more fruits and vegetables (which contain potassium), and more low-fat dairy foods (which contain calcium and magnesium), you can increase your intake of these helpful nutrients and decrease your salt intake at the same time.

You also may consider trying a vegetarian diet. In general, vegetarian diets reduce blood pressure, although the specific nutrients responsible for this effect have not been identified. The dash diet could easily be a vegetarian diet if legumes were substituted for meat. Vegetarian diets tend to be higher in potassium, magnesium, and calcium, as does the dash diet. Vegetarian diets also are higher in fiber and unsaturated fats than other diets.