Have you heard about the DASH diet? No, it isn’t the latest crazy weight loss scheme to hit the market. It’s a sensible eating program formulated by the US National Institutes of Health to manage high blood pressure and cholesterol levels. DASH is an abbreviation for Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension. The diet encourages the consumption of lots of unprocessed, nutrient packed foods such as whole grains, fruits and vegetables, lean white meats and fish, while avoiding sugar, sodium and red meat. In fact, this plan is actually one of the most healthy weight loss programs you can find today.
The diet also advises against eating too many processed foods. Once people learn to give up these overly processed products they often find that food has a much better flavor. Processed foods contain three quarters of the sodium found in the average diet. That’s why they are to be avoided when following the DASH program. A large number of cases of hypertension are caused by excessive sodium consumption. Reducing your sodium intake by eliminating processed foods from your diet is a big step towards controlling your blood pressure and living a healthier, longer life.
The DASH diet isn’t just for controlling hypertension. It also encourages lifestyle changes rather than food deprivation to help you achieve and maintain a healthy weight. The DASH program was the result of a large group of studies that examined many popular eating plans and their typical outcomes.
This lifestyle program not only tells people what foods are good for them, it also advises them as to how to choose healthy, satisfying foods as a replacement for nutrient poor fast food. This component of the program is perhaps the most important, because when people change their eating habits, they start to long for their old low nutrient favorites. By substituting a healthier food that satisfies the body, people are less likely to cheat. This makes it more likely they’ll stick to the diet over the long haul.
There’s also a book of guidelines that has been published for the diet called Your Guide to Lowering Your Blood Pressure with DASH. These guidelines analyze the nutrient content of many common foods, and recommend healthier substitutes for those that are low in nutrients. This useful reference tool also has great ideas for meal preparation that fit within the DASH recommendations, complete with nutritional breakdown. It also includes valuable resources such as places where people can find help to start the program, and other support mechanisms that are available to help you make it work.
As you can see, the DASH diet isn’t the latest rapid weight loss diet to make the rounds. It has been developed through careful research studies. It’s endorsed by numerous experts and organizations in the field of health and nutrition. It’s highly recommended for anyone who is having difficulties with high blood pressure. People who are looking for weight loss advice or just want to eat a healthier diet overall will also find this plan useful.