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DASH stands for Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension. It’s not new; it dates back to early 90s and has quite an excessive research background. The diet plan is promoted by NIH and popularized by physicians for people with high blood pressure.
The DASH diet in short
In short the DASH diet is quite simple – the eating plan and menu includes lots of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and low-fat dairy foods; the included meats are fish and poultry. Nuts and beans are also included and what are limited are the sugar-sweetened foods and beverages, red meat, and added fats.
Don’t get me wrong the DASH diet is not just another high blood pressure diet it has four years of studies (sponsored and conducted by NIH) to prove it really lowers blood pressure. Considering the foods included in the menu, the Dash diet is a healthy eating plan not only for the family member suffering from hypertension, but for the whole family and for everyone in general.
The DASH diet works in 14 days
The DASH diet plan works to lower high blood pressure in 14 days for people with moderately high blood pressure. As amazing as it sounds, but it’s true and it’s proven. This healthy eating plan even helps people with more severe hypertension. And even if they are not able to stop their medication, the DASH diet makes them more responsive to the medication and really helps lower blood pressure.
Other benefits of the DASH diet
- Can help lower cholesterol
- Also aids weight loss and if combined with exercise can reduce insulin resistance
The DASH diet is so healthy and easy to follow eating plan that you will feel the difference once you leave all sugar-sweetened food and beverages, red meat and added fats.
- reduce the risk of stroke and heart disease, as well as kidney stones
The book
The DASH diet plan has its own book, The DASH Diet Action Plan. Having it all written is much easier to follow instead of searching desperately for any information on the internet. The book includes:
- Meals plans for 28 days that can be adjusted according to your personal daily calorie intake.
- Recipes, weight loss tips
- Guidelines how to eat at restaurants and other food places and still be eating according to the DASH diet.
- How to prepare your kitchen for the DASH diet plan
- How to read food labels and most importantly:
- How to make smart food choices while shopping.
- The book will help you add some motion – exercises to your daily routine and much more small but important changes to your lifestyle so that you reach your goal easier – lower blood pressure.
In conclusion, the book is a guide for you to make your own DASH diet plan and follow it the best suitable way for you.
This eating plan is flexible, the more you design it your way, the easier to follow it will be and quicker and better results you will obtain.
The DASH diet and Weight Loss
The DASH diet plan is not intended to aid weight loss although it really does due to the several low calorie versions of the diet plan. It is not so hard to implement into one’s life style. Besides it has great “side” effect – you lose weight due to the lower calorie intake (there is a 1200 calorie version of the DASH diet in the book). Many women who have tried it have lost between 10 and 35 pounds in a few months.
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