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Dash Diet for Hypertension
SummaryThe DASH Diet for Hypertension is a diet developed by a group of prominent medical schools to help people keep their hypertension (high-blood pressure) under control. DescriptionDASH stands for Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension. The goal was to give people a way to keep their high blood pressure under control without the use of prescription pills. In fact, it worked! After two weeks of being on the DASH diet most of the people in the study were able to get their blood pressure down as much as typical medication. DASH is recommended by the American Heart Association as well as many other medical groups. Many doctors are recommending it to their patients with hypertension. Support for DASH within the medical community is very strong. This only makes sense, since extensive medical research and study has been done showing it works. DASH encourages you to eat vegetable, fruits and low-fat dairy products. You get 4-5 servings of fruits and vegetables each per day. DASH emphasizes fruit and vegetables. But, you'll also get 8-9 servings of grains (DASH recommends whole-grains, of course). Plus 2-3 services on low-fat dairy. 1-2 servings of lean meat/fish/eggs. 2-3 servings of fats (preferably unsaturated fats). And, 1 serving of sweets (so, you get to indulge just a little every day). DASH discourages eating of red meat and sweets, in particular. Heavily sweetened foods (like many processed foods) and soft drinks are to be avoided. Also, fatty foods must be eliminated. One of the key aspects of DASH is avoiding salt. This one rule eliminates a great deal of processed foods and most foods that restaurants offer. Developing a moderate exercise routine is also encouraged. The DASH Diet guide contains 2 weeks of daily menus, plus 62 recipes. It has tips on how you can lose weight, reduce your salt intake, and even how to do food shopping. The DASH guide is free. You can download it online here: http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/public/heart/hbp/dash/new_dash.pdf Studies have shown that people who follow the DASH diet greatly reduce their risk of stroke, coronary heart disease, and Type 2 Diabetes. HistoryDASH was developed by Harvard, Duke, Johns Hopkins, and Louisiana State University. These are all top-rated medical schools with some of the best doctors in the world on their staff. The authors of the DASH Diet book (Thomas Moore and Mark Jenkins) are hypertension experts from Duke and Harvard. Tags: exercise fiber healthy heart-disease hypertension low-salt medical scientific Related Diets: Pritikin Diet You on a Diet Rice Diet Hacker's Diet HealthyWage |
bill | posted 21-Dec-2008 8:20am I got a high blood pressure reading while at a routine doctor's visit. I'm in my early 40s and there is some history of hypertension in my family. So, I took this as a wake up call. My doctor and his nutritionist recommended DASH. Also, I have a friend who had been doing DASH for about a year and she had lost a lot of weight on it. It was challenging to implement DASH. I had to just give up on a lot of bad habits I had. Also, I had to put more effort into preparing my own food. I think the biggest challenge is avoiding salt. Practically all processed food is very salty. So, I just had to rule out a whole lot of stuff I'd been eating. But, I've found that making my own food can be very rewarding too. Another big shift has been to get those 5 servings of fruits and 5 servings of vegetables. Before DASH, I really didn't eat a whole lot of either. Now, I have fruit as a snack or as a dessert; also with breakfast. Same goes with vegetables. I've been forced to find ways to add vegetables to my favorite recipes while I take out the salt, fat, and sugars. What has been surprising is that I don't really miss it. The food is different, but also good in its own way. I feel less compulsive about what I'm eating as well. I've gotten to know a bigger variety of foods too. So far I've lost about 20lbs in 4 months. I'd like to lose another 20 pounds. Also, my BP has dropped down to normal range. I saw my doctor for a follow-up and he said I was the model for showing how diet alone can correct hypertension. Being healthy is a great motivator. DASH has given my the power to feel good about myself. |
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