DASH Diet

High blood pressure affects more than a billion people worldwide — and that number is rising.

In fact, the number of people with high blood pressure has doubled in the last 40 years — a serious health concern, as high blood pressure is linked to a higher risk of conditions such as heart disease, kidney failure and stroke

As diet is thought to play a major role in the development of high blood pressure, scientists and policymakers have engineered specific dietary strategies to help reduce it.

This article examines the DASH diet, which was designed to combat high blood pressure and reduce people's risk of heart disease.

What Is the DASH Diet?

DASH is a flexible and balanced eating plan that helps create a heart-healthy eating style for life.

The DASH eating plan requires no special foods and instead provides daily and weekly nutritional goals. This plan recommends:

• Eating vegetables, fruits, and whole grains
• Including fat-free or low-fat dairy products, fish, poultry, beans, nuts, and vegetable oils
• Limiting foods that are high in saturated fat, such as fatty meats, full-fat dairy products, and tropical oils such as coconut, palm kernel, and palm oils
• Limiting sugar-sweetened beverages and sweets.

SUMMARYThe DASH diet was designed to reduce high blood pressure. While rich in fruits, vegetables and lean proteins, it restricts red meat, salt, added sugars and fat.

Potential Benefits

Beyond reducing blood pressure, the DASH diet offers a number of potential benefits, including weight loss and reduced cancer risk.

However, you shouldn’t expect DASH to help you shed weight on its own — as it was designed fundamentally to lower blood pressure. Weight loss may simply be an added perk.

The diet impacts your body in several ways.

Lowers Blood Pressure

Blood pressure is a measure of the force put on your blood vessels and organs as your blood passes through them. It's counted in two numbers:

• Systolic pressure: The pressure in your blood vessels when your heart beats.
• Diastolic pressure: The pressure in your blood vessels between heartbeats, when your heart is at rest.

SUMMARYDASH lowers blood pressure — particularly if you have elevated levels — and may aid weight loss. It could reduce your risk of diabetes, heart disease, metabolic syndrome and some cancers.

What to Eat on the Diet

The DASH diet doesn't list specific foods to eat.

Instead, it recommends specific servings of different food groups.

The number of servings you can eat depends on how many calories you consume. Below is an example of food portions based on a 2,000-calorie diet.

Whole Grains: 6–8 Servings per Day

Examples of whole grains include whole-wheat or whole-grain breads, whole-grain breakfast cereals, brown rice, bulgur, quinoa and oatmeal.

Examples of a serving include:

• 1 slice of whole-grain bread
• 1 ounce (28 grams) of dry, whole-grain cereal
• 1/2 cup (95 grams) of cooked rice, pasta or cereal

Vegetables: 4–5 Servings per Day

All vegetables are allowed on the DASH diet.

Examples of a serving include:

• 1 cup (about 30 grams) of raw, leafy green vegetables like spinach or kale
• 1/2 cup (about 45 grams) of sliced vegetables — raw or cooked — like broccoli, carrots, squash or tomatoes

Fruits: 4–5 Servings per Day

If you're following the DASH approach, you'll be eating a lot of fruit. Examples of fruits you can eat include apples, pears, peaches, berries and tropical fruits like pineapple and mango.

Examples of a serving include:

• 1 medium apple
• 1/4 cup (50 grams) of dried apricots
• 1/2 cup (30 grams) of fresh, frozen or canned peaches

Dairy Products: 2–3 Servings per Day

Dairy products on the DASH diet should be low in fat. Examples include skim milk and low-fat cheese and yogurt.

Examples of a serving include:

• 1 cup (240 ml) of low-fat milk
• 1 cup (285 grams) of low-fat yogurt
• 1.5 ounces (45 grams) of low-fat cheese

Lean Chicken, Meat and Fish: 6 or Fewer Servings per Day

Choose lean cuts of meat and try to eat a serving of red meat only occasionally — no more than once or twice a week.

Examples of a serving include:

• 1 ounce (28 grams) of cooked meat, chicken or fish
• 1 egg

Nuts, Seeds and Legumes: 4–5 Servings per Week

These include almonds, peanuts, hazelnuts, walnuts, sunflower seeds, flaxseeds, kidney beans, lentils and split peas.

Examples of a serving include:

• 1/3 cup (50 grams) of nuts
• 2 tablespoons (40 grams) of nut butter
• 2 tablespoons (16 grams) of seeds
• 1/2 cup (40 grams) of cooked legumes

Fats and Oils: 2–3 Servings per Day

The DASH diet recommends vegetable oils over other oils. These include margarines and oils like canola, corn, olive or safflower. It also recommends low-fat mayonnaise and light salad dressing.

Examples of a serving include:

• 1 teaspoon (4.5 grams) of soft margarine
• 1 teaspoon (5 ml) of vegetable oil
• 1 tablespoon (15 grams) of mayonnaise
• 2 tablespoons (30 ml) of salad dressing

Candy and Added Sugars: 5 or Fewer Servings per Week

Added sugars are kept to a minimum on the DASH diet, so limit your intake of candy, soda and table sugar. The DASH diet also restricts unrefined sugars and alternative sugar sources, like agave nectar.

Examples of a serving include:

• 1 tablespoon (12.5 grams) of sugar
• 1 tablespoon (20 grams) of jelly or jam
• 1 cup (240 ml) of lemonade

SUMMARYThe DASH diet does not list specific foods to eat. Instead, it's a dietary pattern focused on servings of food groups.