Are you suffering from high blood pressure and looking for ways to improve and control your diet? We recommend the DASH diet meal plan.
 DASH means Dietary Approach to Stop Hypertension. Many doctors nowadays recommend healthy diet plans to their patients to control acute hypertension problems, and the DASH diet meal plan is one of them.
Several researches were conducted on people suffering from stress and hypertension, and the DASH diet was proven beneficial for them in just two weeks.
DASH Diet Guidelines
The DASH diet meal planner is a combination of food from various groups. The number of servings usually varies from one person to another depending on the calorie consumption.
Once you start, you can limit yourself by restricting your diet to 2,400 milligrams of sodium per day, equal to 1 teaspoon. The central idea is to make your body accustomed to the diet. Once your body has honed that skill, you can easily cut the calorie intake to 1,500 milligrams of sodium or â…” teaspoons.
High blood pressure is a matter of concern for most families. Therefore, by following this diet plan, you can maintain weight and lower your blood pressure simultaneously. Along with that, the DASH diet can also help you to reduce cholesterol levels and prevent diabetes.
DASH Diet Fundamentals –
The various aspects of the DASH Diet meal plan include:
- Maintaining the portion size
- Consumption of a wide variety of foods
- Getting nutrition from proper foods
When you decide to follow the DASH diet, you are cutting down sodium and salt intake and increasing the amount of calcium, potassium, and magnesium in your daily food intake.
Health Benefits of the DASH Diet Meal Plan
People suffering from high blood pressure or hypertension can shift to the DASH diet regime. Following this type of diet can help you to reduce hypertension. This, in turn, reduces the chances of heart attack, stroke, heart failure, and acute kidney diseases.
People who follow the DASH diet meal plan can reduce the levels of:
- Blood sugar
- Blood pressure
- LDL cholesterol
- Insulin resistance
- Triglycerides
These parameters are responsible for causing obesity, type 2 diabetes and can also trigger cardiovascular diseases.
Several studies were conducted regarding the authenticity of the DASH diet, and people were known to see subtle yet healthy changes in their day-to-day lives in only 8 weeks.
DASH Diet To Lose Weight:Â List Of DASH Diet Foods
The DASH diet regime emphasizes mainly the intake of:
- Green veggies
- Fresh fruits
- Low-fat dairy products
- Whole grains
- Poultry
- Fish
- A limited quantity of red meat, sweets, and fats
According to the DASH diet meal plan, a person can consume at least 2,000 calories daily.
Whole grains include pasta, rice, and bread. It can be a slice of whole wheat bread or a cup of 1 oz of cereal.
Veggies usually include fiber and vitamins. For example, you can have broccoli, sweet potatoes, carrots, and tomatoes. You can either have these vegetables raw or cooked as per your preferences.
Fruits are rich in fiber, potassium, vitamins, magnesium, and other essential nutrients. Therefore the more fruits you consume, the better for your health.
The food spectrum of the DASH diet is a lot more expanded and includes a variety of options. You can consume dairy products like a cup of skimmed milk or a cup of yogurt.
Fish, lean meat, and poultry can also be consumed. But people following the DASH diet meal plan for reducing blood pressure and cholesterol levels should restrict their meat consumption and stick mainly to the consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables.
Moreover, the DASH diet meal plan also incorporates nuts, seeds like sunflower seeds, beans, peas, and healthy oils like margarine and low-fat mayonnaise. You can also include jam, jelly, lemonade, and sorbet daily in your diet.
Conclusion:
The best part about the DASH diet meal plan is the variety of foods that it allows. There are innumerable DASH diet recommendations and unique recipes available. You can either get them online or buy them.
A DASH diet meal plate looks colorful, wholesome, lip-smacking, and nutritious. Although there might be innumerable reasons to shift to a dash diet regime, it is best to consult with your dietitian once before you opt for this method.
