DASH Diet
If you are one of the millions of people that suffer from high blood pressure (hypertension), the DASH diet is exactly what you need to follow to get your health back. The DASH diet stands for Dietary Approaches for Stopping Hypertension. It has been used all over the United States and has proven very successful. The primary goal of the DASH diet is to significantly reduce or eliminate the foods that contribute to high blood pressure. It is also important to increase the intake of foods, vitamins and minerals that help maintain stable blood pressure. The diet plan can be altered by your health professional to help achieve the goals that you need. There are countless DASH recipes and menu plans that are suited for almost anyone.

The DASH diet is very simple, and easy to follow. The two most common DASH diet variations are the 1200-calorie and 1600-calorie meal plans. The DASH diet is strikingly similar to the Mediterranean diet in that major staples of the diet are fruits and vegetables. This is because fruits, vegetables, legumes, seeds, and nuts are all foods that naturally lower high blood pressure. As, good cholesterol and fiber sources are necessary for a well-balanced and healthy diet. The DASH diet also encourages the use of olive oil, as in the Mediterranean diet. Olive oil has shown to not only lower blood pressure, but is good for the heart, and maintaining good blood sugar levels.

The DASH diet does not prohibit meats, however recommends low fat choices such as fish and chicken. It also recommends low fat dairy substitutes. Another similarity between the DASH diet and the Mediterranean diet is the grain intake. The DASH diet plan calls for eating several whole grain foods per day. This can easily be achieved by eating oatmeal for breakfast and granola bars for between meal snacks.

There are many resources for someone that is on the DASH diet. Many resources are available through your physician, but many can be found online as well. There are online menu plans and tracking sheets that can assist you in making your DASH diet the most beneficial to you.