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DASH DIET
(Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension)
Dr. Jeff says "I am not a proponent of this diet program. I believe that there are too many food issues in this diet. But, I do recognize that some people may find the Alkaline Diet or the Elimination/Rotation diet to be a drastic change from their normal routine. This is a good starting point."
Below is a sample of the DASH diet. The full text is in (pdf) form. You must have acrobat reader to view it.
National Institutes of Health
The DASH Diet
This eating plan is from the "Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension" (DASH) clinical study. The research was funded by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), with additional support by the National Center for Research Resources and the Office of Research on Minority Health, all units of the National Institutes of Health. DASH's final results appear in the April 17, 1997, issue of The New England Journal of Medicine. The results show that the DASH "combination diet" lowered blood pressure and, so, may help prevent and control high blood pressure.
The "combination diet" is rich in fruits, vegetables, and low fat dairy foods, and low in saturated and total fat. It also is low in cholesterol, high in dietary fiber, potassium, calcium, and magnesium, and moderately high in protein.
The DASH eating plan shown below is based on 2,000 calories a day. Depending on your caloric needs, your number of daily servings in a food group may vary from those listed.
| Food Group | Daily Servings | Serving Sizes | Examples and Notes | Significance of each food group to the DASH diet Pattern |
| Grains and Grain Products | 7-8 | 1 slice bread
1/2 cup dry cereal 1/2 cup cooked rice, pasta, cereal |
whole wheat bread, English muffin, pita bread, bagel, cereals, grits, oatmeal | major sources of energy and fiber |
| Vegetables | 4-5 | 1 C raw leafy vegetable 1/2 C cooked vegetable 6 oz vegetable juice |
tomatoes, potatoes, carrots, peas, squash, broccoli, turnip greens, collards, kale, spinach, artichokes, sweet potatoes, beans | rich sources of potassium, magnesium, and fiber |
| Fruits | 4-5 | 6 oz fruit juice 1 medium fruit 1/4 C dried fruit 1/2 C fresh, frozen, or canned fruit |
apricots, bananas, dates, oranges, orange juice, grapefruit, grapefruit juice, mangoes, melons, peaches, pineapples, prunes, raisins, strawberries, tangerines | important sources of potassium, magnesium, and fiber |
| Low fat or nonfat dairy foods | 2-3 | 8 oz milk 1 C yogurt 1.5 oz cheese |
skim or 1% milk, skim or low fat buttermilk, nonfat or lowfat yogurt, part skim mozzarella cheese, nonfat cheese | major sources of calcium and protein |
| Meats, poultry, and fish |
2 or less | 3 oz cooked meats, poultry, or fish | select only lean; trim away visible fats; broil, roast, or boil, instead of frying; remove skin from poultry | rich sources of protein and magnesium |
| Nuts, seeds, and legumes | 4-5 per week | 1.5 oz or 1/3 C nuts 1/2 oz or 2 Tbsp seeds 1/2 C cooked legumes |
almonds, filberts, mixed nuts, peanuts, walnuts, sunflower seeds, kidney beans, lentils | rich sources of energy, magnesium, potassium, protein, and fiber |
The DASH Diet Sample Menu
based on 2,000 calories per day
|
Food
|
Amount
|
Servings
Provided |
Breakfast
| orange juice | 6 oz | 1 fruit |
| 1% low fat milk | 8 oz (1 C) | 1 dairy |
| corn flakes(with 1 tsp sugar) | 1 C | 2 grains |
| banana | 1 medium | 1 fruit |
| whole wheat bread (with 1 Tbsp jelly) | 1 slice | 1 grain |
| soft margarine | 1 tsp | 1 fat |
Lunch
| chicken salad | 3/4 C | 1 poultry |
| pita bread | 1/2, large | 1 grain |
| carrot & celery sticks | 3-4 sticks each | 1 vegetable |
| radishes | 2 | 1 vegetable |
| loose-leaf lettuce | 2 leaves | 1 vegetable |
| part skim mozzarella cheese | 1.5 slice (1.5 oz) | 1 dairy |
| 1% low fat milk | 8 oz (1 C) | 1 dairy |
| fruit cocktail in light syrup | 1/2 C | 1 fruit |
Dinner
| herbed baked cod | 3 oz | 1 fish |
| scallion rice | 1 C | 2 grains |
| steamed broccoli | 1/2 C | 1 vegetable |
| stewed tomatoes | 1/2 C | 1 vegetable |
| raw spinach | 1/2 C | 1 vegetable |
| cherry tomatoes | 2 | 1 vegetable |
| cucumber | 2 slices | 1 vegetable |
| light Italian salad dressing | 1 Tbsp | 1/2 fat |
| whole wheat dinner roll | 1 small | 1 grain |
| soft margarine | 1 tsp | 1fat |
| melon balls | 1/2 C | 1 fruit |
Snacks
| dried apricots | 1 oz (1/4 C) | 1 fruit |
| mini-pretzels | 1 oz (3/4 C) | 1 grain |
| mixed nuts | 1.5 oz (1/3 C) | 1 nuts |
| diet ginger ale | 12 oz | 0 |
Total Number of Servings in a 2,000 Calorie/Day Menu
|
Food Group
|
Servings |
| Grains | = 8 |
| Vegetables | = 4 |
| Fruits | = 5 |
| Dairy Foods | = 3 |
| Meats, Poultry, & Fish | = 2 |
| Nuts, Seeds, & Legumes | = 1 |
| Fats & Oils | = 2.5 |