The DASH (Dietary Approach to Stop Hypertension) Diet

The DASH diet has been around for years, but does not get much press anymore. DASH stands for Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension.

It was known as the Low Salt Diet when it first came out. Even though there is a lot more to this diet than counting refined sodium, and it is a great general health and diet plan for everyone.

We all seem to know that refined salt can increase blood pressure, and therefore many people don’t use the salt shaker at the table anymore. However, more and more people are eating out and eating convenience and processed foods that have more refined salt AND more sugar and fat than simple foods. We can’t really know how much salt is in the restaurant foods, but odds are that there is a lot more than is healthy for us.

The DASH diet has been studied for many years and claims to lower blood pressure in 2 weeks. It is also great to lower cholesterol and help you lose weight. The meal plan is high in fiber and nutrients and has whole foods that will help keep you satisfied during the day. You also can find more information at the website: http://diashdiet.org.

To put the DASH diet into action, you need to calculate your calorie target, learn the number of food servings from each food group for your calorie target, and learn what counts as a serving.

Calorie Target
1. Maintain your weight – eat 12 x your weight in calories/day (for a person weighing 150 pounds, that would be 1800calories/day)
2. Loose one pound per week – eat 8 x your weight in calories/day (for a person weighing 150 pounds, than would be 1200 calories/day)

Servings per day from each food group
-Grains(G), Vegetables(V), Fruits(F), Dairy foods(D), Meats/Poultry/Fish(M), Nuts/seeds/legumes(N), Added fats/oils(fat), Sweets(S)

1000-1400 Calorie – 4(G), 3(V), 3(F), 1 1/2(D), 1(M), 1/4(N), 1/2(fat), 1/4(S)

1400-1800 Calorie – 6, 4, 4, 2, 1 1/2, 1/4, 1, 1/2

1800-2200 Calorie – 7, 4, 4, 2 1/2, 1 1/2, 1/2, 2, 1/2

2200-2600 Calorie – 6, 5, 5, 3, 2, 1/2, 3, 1

2600-3000 Calorie – 11, 6, 6, 3 1/2, 2 1/2, 1/2, 4, 2

Serving Sizes

Grains and grain products – 1 slice bread or 1/2 cup dry cereal or 1/2 cup cooked rice
Vegetables – 1 cup leafy veggie, or 1/2 cup cooked veggie
Fruits – 1 medium fruit, or 1/4 cup dried fruit,or 1/2 cup frozen or fresh or canned fruit
Low -fat dairy foods – 8 ounce milk, or 1 cup yogert, or 1 1/2 ounces cheese
Meats/poultry/fish – 3 ounces cooked meat/poultry/fish
Nuts/seeds/legumes (beans) – 1 1/2 ounces or 1/3 cup nuts, 2 tablespoons seeds, 1/2cup cooked legumes
Fats and oils – 1 teaspoon butter or margerine, 1 tablespoon low fat mayonnaise or regular salad dressing, 2 tablespoons light salad dressing
Sweets – 1 teaspoon sugar, 1 tablespoon maple syrup, 1 tablespoon jelly or jam, 1/2 cup Jello, 8 ounces sugared drink3 pieces hard candy, 1/2 cup sherbet, 1 popsicle, 1/2 cup low-fat frozen yogurt

Susan Harris, NP
& Dr. Lisa