The DASH Diet
DASH: which stands for Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension was a study of the effect of different dietary patterns on reducing high blood pressure. Researchers found that volunteers who followed the DASH diet had significantly lower blood pressure after just a few weeks.
Here are some tips to get you started on the DASH diet:
- Add a serving of vegetables at lunch and at dinner.
- Add a serving of fruit to your meals or as a snack. Canned and dried fruits are easy to use.
- Use only half your typical serving of butter, margarine, or salad dressing, and use low-fat or fat-free condiments.
- Drink low-fat or skim dairy products any time you would normally use full fat or cream.
- Limit meat to 6 ounces a day. Try eating some vegetarian meals.
- Add more vegetables and dry beans to your diet.
- Instead of typical snacks (chips, etc.), eat unsalted pretzels or nuts, raisins, low-fat and fat-free yogurt, frozen yogurt, unsalted plain popcorn with no butter, and raw vegetables.
- Read food labels carefully to choose products that are lower in sodium.
- Eating more fruits, vegetables, and low-fat dairy foods
- Cutting back on foods that are high in saturated fat, cholesterol, and trans fats
- Eating more whole grain products, fish, poultry, and nuts
- Eating less red meat (especially processed meats) and sweets
- Eating foods that are rich in magnesium, potassium, and calcium
Interested staying on the DASH diet? Here are some suggested serving amounts for the diet.
- Grains: 7-8 daily servings
- Vegetables: 4-5 daily servings
- Fruits: 4-5 daily servings
- Low-fat or fat-free dairy products: 2-3 daily servings
- Meat, poultry, and fish: 2 or less daily servings
- Nuts, seeds, and dry beans: 4-5 servings per week
- Fats and oils: 2-3 daily servings
- Sweets: try to limit to less than 5 servings per week
Reduce your blood pressure starting today!
Posted by: SSG
Source:http://www.webmd.com/hypertension-high-blood-pressure/guide/dash-diet