Have you heard about the DASH diet? No, it isn’t the latest crazy weight loss scheme to hit the market. It’s a sensible eating program formulated by the US National Institutes of Health to manage high blood pressure and cholesterol levels. The name is short for Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension. The diet encourages the consumption of lots of unprocessed, nutrient packed foods such as whole grains, fruits and vegetables, lean white meats and fish, while avoiding sugar, sodium and red meat. In fact, this plan is actually one of the most healthy weight loss programs you can find today.
The diet also advises against eating too many processed foods. Once people learn to give up these overly processed products they often find that food has a much better flavor. Processed foods contain three quarters of the sodium found in the average diet. This is why the DASH diet discourages them. Sodium is the leading cause of high blood pressure. Lowering sodium intake through the elimination of processed foods is an important component of managing your hypertension and enjoying a long, healthy life.
The DASH diet isn’t just for controlling hypertension. It also encourages lifestyle changes rather than food deprivation to help you achieve and maintain a healthy weight. The DASH program was the result of a large group of studies that examined many popular eating plans and their typical outcomes.
This healthy lifestyle plan demonstrates to people what good eating habits look like. However, it also points them towards healthier substitutes for junk food. This is actually quite critical, since dieting causes many people to start craving the junk food that they’re used to eating. People aren’t as likely to stray from their diet if they can find an appealing healthy food to replace their poor nutritional choices. This makes it more likely they’ll stick to the diet over the long haul.
Your Guide to Lowering Your Blood Pressure with DASH is the official guide book for the DASH diet. This guide shows the nutritional information for many foods and gives suggestions for healthy alternatives for the less nutritious ones. This useful reference tool also has great ideas for meal preparation that fit within the DASH recommendations, complete with nutritional breakdown. It also includes valuable resources such as places where people can find help to start the program, and other support mechanisms that are available to help you make it work.
The DASH program isn’t just another fad diet. The results of much research has contributed to these dietary recommendations. It’s endorsed by numerous experts and organizations in the field of health and nutrition. For people with hypertension problems, this program is one of the most recommended ways to manage the problem apart from medication. People who are looking for weight loss advice or just want to eat a healthier diet overall will also find this plan useful.
Tags: DASH diet, diets, healthy weight loss, Weight Loss
