If you’ve been exploring different diets lately, you may have stumbled across the DASH diet and found yourself curious what it consists of. First introduced in 1997, the DASH diet stands for ‘Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension’ (also known as hypertension).
High blood pressure affects about half of all Americans, and is defined as a systolic blood pressure greater than 130 mmHg or a diastolic blood pressure greater than 80 mmHg. CDC, When left untreated, high blood pressure can damage many organs throughout the body and result in a heart attack or stroke.
The good news is that there are many ways in which we can reduce high blood pressure. When investing in one of these best water bottles And while increasing your fluid intake can certainly help, the DASH diet offers a great nutrition-based way to help lower high blood pressure without making any dramatic changes to the food you eat.
With a focus on reducing sodium consumption by encouraging people to eat whole foods, the DASH diet encourages people to reduce their consumption of red meat and processed foods (which tend to be high in sodium), and those containing fiber and minerals. Helps to increase their intake. Foods such as fruits and vegetables.
But is the DASH diet suitable for everyone? how does it work? And are there any side effects of following it? Read on to find out.
What is the DASH Diet?
The DASH diet focuses on reducing the consumption of red meat and heavily processed foods that are high in salt and sugar, and increasing the amount of potassium, magnesium and calcium. Potassium, magnesium and calcium are all important minerals in the regulation of blood pressure, as they play a role in the relaxation and contraction of blood vessels. In addition, potassium has a purifying effect on sodium in the body, so the more potassium you eat, the more sodium you lose through urine. American Heart Institute.
a review in Journal of the American College of Cardiology found that reducing sodium may be beneficial for people who have first and stage 1 high blood pressure (hypertension). The study indicated that the DASH diet could be used as a method of intervention to help reduce high blood pressure and help prevent people with high blood pressure from developing secondary health conditions.
To read more about blood pressure and how our vascular system works, check out our guide Veins and Arteries: Facts about our blood vessels.
What to Eat on the DASH Diet
Registered Dietitian, Food Therapist and Nutrition Consultant, Laura ClarkeIn this article, explains the main features of the DASH diet. “It’s a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, fish, poultry, beans, pulses, nuts, seeds, and low-fat dairy,” she says. “The emphasis on the DASH diet is the reduction of meat and processed foods that are high in salt and sugar. The combination of a reduction in salt with eating more foods that help lower blood pressure and protect our arteries. This diet There isn’t an absolute – it’s about finding a better balance towards foods that have been proven to help and reduce salt intake to less than 6 grams per day.”
Increasing your intake of fruits, vegetables and whole grains, as the DASH diet recommends, will help increase your dietary fiber intake, in turn giving you a feeling of fullness and satiety while eating. Dieters often give up due to a lack of appetite and satisfaction, so it’s important to help keep hunger low and motivation high.
Journal of Nutrition An investigation into the role of fiber in weight loss indicates that a diet high in fiber may help obese people follow a calorie-restricted diet. Since obesity is a condition often found with high blood pressure, losing overall weight can help to both treat the symptoms, and reduce the pressure on the cardiovascular system.
For another healthy alternative to the DASH diet, you may want to check out Mediterranean diet,
Potential Benefits of the DASH Diet
according to CDCOf course, only 1 in 4 adults (24%) with high blood pressure has the condition under control, which is a frightening number considering the number of people in the US who have it. Dietary changes, such as following the DASH diet, can help keep the condition under control.
Clark explains that the DASH diet has many applications, although it began as a diet to help people with high blood pressure. “Originally designed to lower blood pressure, it also has other benefits for heart health and is also rich in cardioprotective nutrients such as fiber, calcium, potassium, reducing the risk of stroke, heart attack, and Magnesium has been shown to improve heart health in general,” she says. “It’s a healthy way to eat suitable for the whole family.”
Reducing your consumption of processed foods and choosing more whole foods can help improve your overall health, as it is often related to a lack of sodium, saturated fat and sugar in the diet, which can lead to high blood pressure or high blood pressure. may contribute to the development of related conditions. ,
reference
Facts about high blood pressure | CDC.gov. (2021, September 27). Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved on April 22, 2022 from https://www.cdc.gov/blood pressure/facts.htm#:%7E:text=Nearly%20half%20of%20adults%20in,are%20king%20medication%20for%20hypertension Went.
How potassium can help control high blood pressure. (2022, April 14). Wow. Heart. Organization. Retrieved on April 22, 2022 from https://www.heart.org/en/health-topics/high-blood-pressure/changes-you-can-make-to-manage-high-blood-pressure/how-potassium Went. -can-help-control-high-blood-pressure#:%7E:text=%20more%20potassium%20you%20food,80%20who%20%20otherwise%20healthy.
Jurasek, SP, Miller, ER, Weaver, CM, & Appel, LJ (2017). Effects of sodium reduction and the DASH diet in relation to baseline blood pressure. Journal of the American College of Cardiology, 70(23), 2841-2848. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jacc.2017.10.11
Miketinas, DC, Bray, GA, Beall, RA, Ryan, DH, Sachs, FM, & Champagne, CM (2019). Fiber intake predicts weight loss and dietary adherence in adults consuming a calorie-restricted diet: the Pound Lost (Preventing Overweight Using Novel Dietary Strategies) study. The Journal of Nutrition, 149(10), 1742-1748. https://doi.org/10.1093/jn/nxz117
