DASH DIET EXPLAINED
Dash diet refers to:
D Dietary
A Approach to
S Stop
H Hypertension
This diet helps to put you through the normal way of eating and to ensure that your normal range in blood pressure is brought under control.
DASH DIET, THE WORKING DIET
From basic research, it shows that the following nutrients are in adequate in our daily consumption:
Calcium
Potassium
Magnesium
Most diet we consume usually has the following nutrients in larger amount:
High sugar content
High salt
High fat
But are extremely low in mineral and fiber which disallow our blood pressure range to fall within the normal range
Dash diet has now been put in place to ensure proper dietary intake that allows for functioning body nutrients.
This diet contains beneficial nutrients such as:
Grains
Vegetables
Fruits
Beans
Lean protein
Low fat dairy products
DASH DIET DESIGNATION
The design of this diet vary based on some factors, it’s a well-designed diet having about 2000 calorie daily.
Factors to be looked into or considered are:
Activity level
Age
Gender
Weight
SERVING SIZES FOR DASH DIET
Dash diet has lots of serving sizes, some of which are:
DAIRY: One cup of low fat milk
FRUITS AND VEGGIES: Half cup of veggies with chopped fruit, one medium fruit, a cup of leave green, three quarter of a cup of 100% fruit juice, dried fruit of about quarter size.
GRAIN: Cooked grain of about half cup, wheat bread 1 slice, dry cereal 1 ounce
PROTEIN: Lean meat, 2-3 oz, four egg white, dried beans about half cup, nut butter 2 spoons (peanut)
BLOOD PRESSURE IN DASH DIET
If you have hypertension and you really intend cutting down on this condition, dash dietary intake will be of help, this is as a result of the low sodium intake this diet contain, high intake of salt affects your health as an hypertensive patient, so with dash diet, lesser salt intake will be consumed, and high fiber food content rich in calcium and potassium will be administered, with this, your condition will be improved.
Life style changes also aims at improving your condition.
LIFESTYLE CHANGES THAT HELPS
The following lifestyle changes tips can really be of help:
Let your orders be mostly vegetables
Extra pounds should be reduced
Healthy breakfast should be taken
Cut down on sugar
FOOD NUTRIENTS
Various food nutrients exist, some are:
Magnesium
Calcium
Sodium
Potassium
Cutting down sodium in your daily intake really helps, eating food that brings down or helps cut sodium in diet benefits the body rather than taking food high in sodium.
Two powerful minerals (potassium and magnesium) should be included daily in your meal, it helps bring your condition under control, it also thus helps bring high blood pressure to check.
Administering 4.7g potassium daily helps to care for the kidney and allows for normal kidney function.
Also, administering about 1200g of calcium helps to keep your blood pressure low; it also thus helps to strengthen your bones.
EATING WHOLE GRAIN FOOD
Take more of whole grain food, researches states that those who consumes more of whole grain food has lower risk of having High Blood Pressure.
The following food could help in blood pressure lowering:
Banana
Potatoes
Cinnamon
Peaches
Nectarines
Kiwi fruits
Wild blueberries
White beans
Beetroot juice
Dark chocolate
Sweet potatoes
Decaf coffee
Hibiscus tea
Fat free plain yoghurt
Cranberry juices
Purple potatoes
Pomegranates
Reducing your salt intake helps to cut low on increased blood pressure, should you are the salt lover type, take it far away from sight.
BASIC GUIDETo DASH DIET
Like earlier discussed, this diet is aimed at reducing increase in blood pressure; those having increased blood pressure which is termed hypertension has been linked to some medical condition such as:
Stroke
Heart disease
Kidney failure
What we consume plays a vital role either in raising our blood pressure or lowering it, so by this, dietary strategies has been designed to help reduce the rate at which blood pressure rises.
DASH DIET IMPORTANCE
Like we discussed, this diet aims at bringing down blood pressure, aside this, dash diet also plays a vital role in weight loss and reduced cancer risk.
The ways by which this diet acts is as follows:
It helps in blood pressure lowering
Once this diet is followed with care, both systolic and diastolic pressure will be monitored and controlled.
If you are on this diet, low blood pressure will be observed if salt intake is reduced or if weight is not loss.
Dash diet works faster and better for those, whose blood pressure is high, this diet helps bring it to a more considerable state.
To some who assumes that decrease in blood pressure could lead to decrease in heart rate, it is a capital NO for this diet, for this diet, decrease in blood pressure on this diet does not mean a decrease in heart rate.
Dash diet plays a vital role in weight loss
If your weight is loss or not, for this diet, low blood pressure will be observed. Normally, the more you weigh, the more chances of you having increased blood pressure.
Cutting down on weight will positively affects your blood pressure. This diet encourages low calorie and salt intake.
Should losing weight is what you delight in, go on a calorie reduced diet or meal
It thus decreases cancer risk
Heart disease risk is decreased
Diabetes risk is also lowered
Due to low salt intake, metabolic syndrome risk is decreased
DASH DIET, WHO IT WORKS FOR
This diet works for the following people:
Dash diet works for hypertensive individual
It works for those who want to cut down on calorie
It works for those with intension of losing weight
Those whose medical condition is as a result of increased salt intake, this diet works perfectly well for them
DOES EATING LITTLE SALT AFFECTS?
Eating little salt has also been linked to some medical condition such as:
Insulin resistance
Fluid retention
Increased risk of heart disease
It is best one consumes lesser than 1500mg of salt daily, this amounts to ¾ teaspoon.
WHAT TO EAT
Dash diet does not list foods to consume; it rather recommends specific food servings.
The consumed food calorie depends on the serving number one consumes:
Whole grain per day serving: about 6-8
A slice of whole grain bread
One once of dried grain cereal
Half cup of cooked rice
Vegetable per day serving: about 4-5
Raw or cooked half of sliced vegetable
One cup of spinach
Fruits per day serving: about 4-5
Half cup of fresh frozen peaches
A medium apple
Half cup of dried apricots
Dairy product per day serving: about 2-3
A cup of low fat yoghurt
A cup of low fat milk
Half ounces of low fat milk
Meat, fish per day serving: about 6 or fewer serving
One egg
One ounce of cooked fish or meat
Seeds, legumes per day serving: about 4-5
Two teaspoon of seeds
1/3 nut cups
Half cup of cooked legumes
Nut butter two table spoons
Fat and oil per day serving: about 2-3
Two tea spoon of salad dressing
A teaspoon of mayonnaise
A tea spoon of soft margarine
Vegetable oil, a tea spoon
Added sugar and candy per day serving: about 5
A cup of lemonade
A teaspoon of jam
A tea spoon of sugar
A WEEK SAMPLE MENU FOR DASH DIET
FIRST DAY SAMPLE MENU
BREAKFAST
A store bought, whole wheat bagel with two table spoons of peanut butter with no salt added
FIRST DAY
Breakfast:
Decaffeinated coffee
One medium orange
A cup of fat free milk
Whole meal bagel with peanut of about 2 table spoon with no salt
LUNCH
Spinach salad will be made with the following:
A sliced pear
A cup of fat free milk
Half cup of mandarin orange sections
One quarter cup slivered almond
Two table spoon of red wine vinaigrette
Four cups of fresh spinach leaves
Reduced sodium wheat crackers about 12
DINNER
Herb crusted baked cod, three ounces cooked
Two teaspoon of olive oil
Herbal ice tea
Half cup of brown rice with vegetable
Four vanilla wafers
One small sourdough roll
Take snacks anytime
Half cup of fresh green beans, steamed
One cup of fat free low calorie yogurt
Chopped mint with one cup fresh berry
DAY 2
BREAKFAST
One bran muffin
Herbal tea
Cup walnut of about 1/3
A cup of fat free milk
One tea spoon of Tran’s free margarine
A cup fresh mixed fruit
LUNCH
Curry chicken wrapped made with
Eight raw of baby carrot
A cup of fat free milk
One medium whole wheat tortilla
Half teaspoon of curry powder
2/3 cup cooked, chopped chicken about three ounce
11/2 light mayonnaise
Half cup of chopped apple
DINNER
One nectarine
Two cup mixed salad green
Sparkling water
One small whole wheat roll
Take snacks anytime
One teaspoon of olive oil
One tea spoon low fat Caesar dressing
One fat serving
Quarter cup raisins
Two teaspoons of sun flower seed
Trail mixed with twenty two unsalted mini twist pretzels
A cup cooked, whole wheat spaghetti, one cup of marinara sauce, no salt added
DAY 3 MENU
BREAKFAST
One banana
One teaspoon trans free margarine
One cup fat free milk
One cup old fashioned cooked oatmeal topped with one teaspoon cinnamon
One slice of whole wheat toast
LUNCH
Tuna salad made with:
Fifteen grapes
One cup of fat free milk
Eight melba toast crackers
Two teaspoon light mayonnaise
Served on 21/2 cups romaine lettuce
One cup drained unsalted water packed tuna, three ounce
DINNER
Beef and vegetable kebab made with:
1/3 cup pecans
One cup of pineapple chunks
One cup cooked wild rice
One cup of light yoghurt
One medium peach
Take snack anytime
Three beef ounces
Four ounces crane raspberry juice
Four- eight sparkling water
Cran raspberry spritzer made with:
A cup of pepper, mushroom, tomatoes
When coking the oatmeal, do not add salt
DAY 4
BREAKFAST
A cup of skim milk
Half cup of rasp berry
A cup of oat meal
Half cup of fresh orange juices
LUNCH
Salad made with 4.5 ounces of grilled tuna:
Half cup of cherry tomatoes
A boiled egg
Two cups of green salad
Two teaspoon of low fat dressing
DINNER
A cup of brown rice
Pork about three ounces filled with a cup mixed vegetable
A medium banana
A cup of low fat yogurt
Half cup of canned pears
DAY 5
BREAKFAST
Half cup of fresh orange juices
Half cup of baked beans
Two boiled eggs
Two slices of turkey bacon
Two slices of whole wheat toast
Half cup of cherry tomatoes
LUNCH
Half cup of green salad
Half cup cherry tomatoes
1 table of low fat mayonnaise
Two slices of whole wheat toast
1.5 ounces of low fat cheese
DINNER
Spaghetti and meal ball with a cup of four ounces spaghetti and minced turkey
A cup of fruit salad
A cup of medium apple
DAY 6
BREAKFAST
One medium banana
Two teaspoon of mixed seeds
Half cup of fresh orange juices
Two slices of whole wheat toast with two teaspoons of peanut butter
LUNCH
A cup of couscous
Three ounces of grilled chicken
A cup of roasted vegetable
DINNER
Half lentils cup
Three ounces of pork steak
A cup of ratatouille
1.5 ounces of low fat cheese
A cup of brown rice
A medium apple
A cup of low fat yogurt
Half cup of mixed berry
Low fat chocolate pudding
DAY 7
BREAKFAST
A cup of skim milk
A cup of oatmeal
Half cup of fresh orange juices
Half cup of blueberries
LUNCH
Four whole grain crackers
One tea spoon of mayonnaise
Half table spoon of seed
Two cups of green salad
Half cup of cherry tomatoes
Chicken salad made with three ounces of lean chicken breast
DINNER
One banana
Half cup of almond
Three ounces of roasted beef
A medium pear
Half cup of broccoli
A cup of boiled potatoes
Half cup of green peas
To getting an adequate food nutrients for this meal, take your meal with lots of vegetables, fruits and protein source, this makes your meal healthy.