The Dash Diet

According to the American Health Association, an estimated 81 million Americans are affected by a least one form of cardiovascular disease. However, there is hope.
In November 2011 US News & World Report ranked the DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) diet the "healthiest diet to follow."
The DASH diet is a balanced plan that research has demonstrated improved health by lowering blood pressure and cholesterol. While high blood pressure, which can lead to cardiovascular disease, cannot be cured, it can be prevented. A common but often overlooked culprit of high blood pressure is salt intake.
The National Heart Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI) advises less that 2.4 grams (2,400 milligrams) or 1 teaspoon, per day. The DASH diet is a low-salt (sodium) plan that emphasized eating fruits and vegetables, low-fat or no-fat milk products and whole grains.
Research has shown that following the DASH diet can lower blood pressure in just 14 days. Results were predominantly seen in individuals with a previously high blood pressure state or moderately high blood pressure.
But even for those who had severely high blood pressure following the DASH diet improved their response to their medications and helped them keep their blood pressure under better control.
The DASH diet also is associated with lowering the risk of several types of cancer like breast and colon, heart disease and stroke, and reduces the risk of developing diabetes.
Because of this, DASH is a meal plan that would be good for the whole family.
So what does the DASH plan look like? Let's look at a daily 1,600-calorie meal plan and a daily 2,000-calorie level meal plan that follow the DASH principles, as shown in the box below.
The below meal plans are simple to implement if you learn how. More information on the diet can be found at dashdiet.org or the book "The DASH Diet Action Plan."
If you have high cholesterol, high blood pressure, are overweight or have pre-diabetes, the DASH diet has proven itself a great tool to improve these medical conditions and would be worth the investment of your time.

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