DASH Diet
Dietary Approaches To Stop Hypertension
The DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) eating plan is rich in whole grains, vegetables, fruits, and low in fat and fat-free dairy products. These foods are also naturally low in sodium and contain nutrients that may help lower blood pressure. Even if you don't have high blood pressure, eating this way can help prevent increases in blood pressure that occur as you get older.
Getting started
Start small. Make gradual changes in your eating habits.
- If you eat one or two vegetables a day, add a serving at lunch and another at dinner.
- If you don't eat fruit now or have only juice at breakfast, add a serving to your meals. Eat fruit as a snack.
- Use only half the butter, margarine, or salad dressing as you do now.
- Gradually increase dairy products to two or three a day. Choose low-fat or fat-free dairy products.
Treat meat as one part of the whole meal, instead of the focus.
- If you eat large portions of meat, cut back gradually—by a half or a third at each meal. Increase servings of vegetables, rice, pasta, and dry beans at meals.
- Include two or more vegetarian-style (meatless) meals each week.
Use fruits or low fat foods as desserts and snacks.
- Fruits and low fat foods offer great taste and variety. Use fruits canned in their own juice. Fresh fruits need little or no preparation. Dried fruits are easy to carry with you.
Reduce salt and sodium.
- Read food labels to select foods lower in sodium.
- To flavor foods when cooking, use herbs and spices (like oregano, thyme, paprika, nutmeg, tumeric, and coriander) instead of salt.
- Limit or avoid high sodium foods (like smoked, cured, or processed foods; convenience foods or fast foods; high sodium condiments; highly salted snacks; and sauces, mixes and "instant" products).
- Use fruit juices or vinegar to marinate foods.