DASH Diet
Targets Lower Blood Pressure

Zero in on your health.
Use the DASH diet to lower your blood pressure naturally.

The DASH eating plan came from a study comparing two high fiber diets against typical American eating habits. Both included foods high in fiber (8 to 10 servings of fruits and vegetables a day) and were low in sucrose (sugar). Neither diet was vegetarian nor used fat substitutes.

One diet focused mainly on nutrient-rich vegetables and fruits. The DASH plan included vegetables and fruit, but also seriously limited saturated fat and cholesterol, and used low-fat dairy products.

The original DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) study by the National Institutes of Health in 1997 showed quick results and significantly lower blood pressure.

Since those first results, researchers have found DASH also is a good diet to lower cholesterol, and, when expanded to restrict sodium (1500 mg a day) can further lower blood pressure and be more effective than a prescribed low-sodium diet.

DASH is a plan for a lifetime, a healthy lifetime, in which simple steps lead to DASH success:

1. Eat plenty of healthy, high fiber vegetables at lunch and dinner.
2. Add fruit to meals or eat fruit for a snack. (Remember to limit snacks!)
3. Limit saturated and trans fats — low-fat or non-fat dairy products.
4. Take the focus off the meat — 2 (or more) meatless meals a week.
5. Cut your meat servings to 3 ounces per meal — 6 ounces a day total.
6. Add whole grain pasta, brown rice, and lentils or beans to your diet.
7. Limit salt (sodium) — leave the shaker on the shelf, use low-sodium canned products.

DASH guidelines recommend to drink milk (skim or low-fat) in place of soda, sweetened tea, or alcohol, and to enjoy fruit, nuts, and low-fat food products for dessert.

Nutrition based on data assembled from United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference.
g=grams, mg=milligrams, mcg=micrograms, kcal=calories