What is the DASH Diet, and How Does It Work?

DASH stands for Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension. The DASH diet is a nutritious eating plan that can help you manage or avoid high blood pressure (hypertension).

Foods high in potassium, calcium, and magnesium are included in the DASH diet. These nutrients aid with blood pressure management. The diet restricts sodium-rich, saturated-fat-rich, and sugar-rich foods.

The DASH diet has been demonstrated in studies to decrease blood pressure in as little as two weeks. Low-density lipoprotein (LDL or “bad”) cholesterol levels in the blood can also be reduced by eating a healthy diet. Two main risk factors for heart disease and stroke are excessive blood pressure and high LDL cholesterol levels.

Lowering sodium may be beneficial for patients with pre- and stage 1 hypertension, according to a review of the data (high blood pressure).

If you’ve been looking at different diets recently, you may have come across the DASH diet and wondered what it includes.

According to the CDC, high blood pressure is defined as a systolic blood pressure greater than 130 mmHg or a diastolic blood pressure greater than 80 mmHg in nearly half of all Americans. High blood pressure, if left untreated, can harm a variety of organs throughout the body and lead to a heart attack or stroke.

The good news is that there are various methods for lowering blood pressure. While getting one of the best water bottles and increasing your fluid intake will surely help, the DASH diet is a wonderful nutrition-based strategy to help reduce high blood pressure without having to drastically change your diet.

The DASH diet focuses on minimising salt consumption by encouraging individuals to eat whole foods. It encourages people to eat less red meat and processed foods (both of which are high in sodium) and more fibre and mineral-rich foods like fruits and vegetables.

DASH Diet: What to eat

Nutrition consultant, explains the DASH diet’s main features. She explains, “It’s a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, wholegrains, fish, poultry, beans, pulses, nuts, seeds and low fat dairy,” she says. “The emphasis with the DASH diet is a reduction of meat and processed foods which are higher in salt and sugar. Combining a reduction in salt with the eating of more foods that help to lower blood pressure and protect our arteries. There are no absolute cannots on this diet – it’s about getting a better balance towards the foods that have been proven to help and reducing salt intake to under 6g per day.”

Increase your dietary fibre intake by increasing your intake of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, as recommended by the DASH diet, which will give you a sense of fullness and satiety when you eat. Hunger and a lack of satisfaction are common reasons for dieters to give up, so it’s critical to keep hunger at bay and motivation strong.

According to a study published in the Journal of Nutrition on the role of fibre in weight loss, a high-fiber diet can assist obese people stick to a calorie-restricted diet. Because obesity is frequently associated with high blood pressure, losing weight can help cure the symptoms of both conditions while also relieving pressure on the cardiovascular system.

The DASH Diet’s Potential Benefits

According to the CDC, just about one-fourth of adults with hypertension (24 percent) have their illness under control, which is a frightening statistic given the amount of people who have it in the United States. Dietary changes, like as adhering to the DASH diet, may aid in the management of the illness.

The DASH diet, according to nutrition consultant, has a variety of uses, despite its origins as a hypertension-relieving diet. “Originally designed to reduce blood pressure, it also has other benefits for cardiovascular health and has been shown to reduce the risk of stroke, heart attacks and improve cardiovascular health in general due to being rich in cardioprotective nutrients such as fiber, calcium, potassium and magnesium,” she says. “It’s a healthy way of eating suitable for the whole family .”

Reducing your intake of processed foods and replacing them with more whole foods can help you improve your overall health because it often correlates with a decrease in sodium, saturated fat, and sugar in your diet, all of which can contribute to the development of high blood pressure and other related conditions.