The DASH diet is reportedly the healthiest as it’s not really a diet but an overall healthy approach to eating.
BB Intern Brooke Davie finds looks at what it actually is.
Here are the do’ s and don’ts of the DASH diet and break it down for you. The Dietary Approach to Stop Hypertension is most commonly referred to as the DASH diet. The diet is designed to lower your blood pressure, however the health benefits which come with it can ultimately result in weight loss. What’s not to like about that?
DASH was developed by the national heart, lung, and blood institute and comprises of two separate sets of guidelines. The standard DASH diet suggests you can consume up to 2300 milligrams of sodium (salt) per day. Whereas, the lower sodium DASH diet suggests consumption of sodium is limited to 1500 milligrams per day. Research shows that the lower level sodium diet is more effective at lowering blood pressure. But better health can be achieved by everyone at both levels of this dietary approach to healthy eating.
To do your dash so to speak, you cut salt, fats, sugars out of your diet, and increase your intake of fruits and veggies to lower your cholesterol and increase your chance of weight loss.
Experts describe the basic idea of the DASH diet as emphasising the foods we’ve traditionally been encouraged to eat (such as the humble fruits, veggies, whole grains, lean protein, and low-fat dairy) whilst avoiding food that tastes delicious but will set you back on your bid to farewell the extra kilos.
To take out the title of the best diet for 2013, the DASH had the highest rating on a five-point scale measuring both short and long term weight loss, ease of compliance, safety and nutrition.
The DASH diet is all about fresh, healthy food, rather than processed low calorie options. It doesn’t endorse supplements or power bars, etc, it is all about fresh whole foods and healthy meals whilst following a caloric guide for either weight maintenance or weight loss. The diet guidelines recommend 30 minutes of moderate exercise daily or 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous exercise for weight loss.
For more information about the DASH diet go to:
http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/public/heart/hbp/dash/new_dash.pdf
