The DASH diet is a recommended diet for people who want to prevent or treat hypertension , also known as high blood pressure, and reduce their risk of heart disease. It focuses on consuming fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean meats. It was created after researchers noted that high blood pressure was much less common in people who followed a plant-based diet, such as vegans and vegetarians. This is why the Dash diet emphasizes fruits and vegetables while including some lean protein sources such as chicken, fish, and legumes. The diet is low in red meat, salt, added sugars, and fat.
Scientists believe that one of the main reasons people with high blood pressure can benefit from this diet is because it reduces salt intake.
Why is the Dash diet considered one of the best?
Beyond lowering blood pressure, the DASH diet offers a number of potential benefits, including weight loss and reduced risk of cancer. However, you shouldn’t expect the DASH diet to help you lose weight on its own, as it was designed primarily to lower blood pressure . Weight loss can simply be an added benefit.
Benefits of the Dash diet
Lowers blood pressure
Blood pressure is a value that measures the force by which your blood passes through the blood vessels and organs:
- Systolic pressure: the pressure in the blood vessels when the heart beats.
- Diastolic pressure: the pressure in the blood vessels between heartbeats, when your heart is at rest.
Normal blood pressure in adults is a systolic pressure below 120 mmHg and a diastolic pressure below 80 mmHg. This typically represents that the systolic blood pressure is above the diastolic pressure, in measurements like 120/80. People with a blood pressure reading of 140/90 are considered to have high blood pressure.
Interestingly, the DASH diet lowers blood pressure in both healthy people and people with high blood pressure . In studies, people who followed the DASH diet for a long period of time experienced lower blood pressure, even without losing weight or restricting their salt intake. However, when sodium intake was restricted, the DASH diet lowered blood pressure even further.
Helps to lose weight
You are likely to experience lower blood pressure on the Dash diet, whether you lose weight or not. However, if you already have high blood pressure, you have likely been advised to lose weight. This is because the more you weigh, the higher your blood pressure will be. Some studies suggest that people can lose weight on the Dash diet, however those who have lost weight on the DASH diet have had a controlled calorie deficit , meaning they were advised to eat fewer calories than they were expending. So if you want to lose weight on the Dash diet, you will have to follow a low calorie diet.
Since the Dash diet eliminates a lot of sugary and high-fat foods , people may find that they automatically reduce their calorie intake and lose weight.
