The DASH diet is specifically designed to prevent and control high blood pressure but may also provide other benefits given the high nutritional quality of it. However, if we want to implement this type of food it is important to know what really is and then we speak.
What you need to know about the DASH diet
The name of this diet is derived from its acronym in English: Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH), there can define this diet as the most recommended when seeking a food strategy to prevent or reduce high blood pressure.
However, it can also be of great help when trying to lose weight or face successfully treating metabolic syndrome where coexisting obesity, hypertension, diabetes and perhaps other diseases.
Whatever the goal we pursue with its implementation, it is essential to know exactly what the DASH diet, for which we leave the following key features that describe it:
- It has high levels of fiber, potassium, calcium and magnesium so that it must be regularly and in suitable amounts include whole grains, fruits and vegetables that are the basis of the DASH diet.
- It is low in sodium and refined sugars as pointing scientists in the UK, partly due to the wide variety of fresh foods including the same as it aims to avoid processed foods rich in these nutrients.
- It offers phytochemicals with antioxidant effect in high proportions, especially flavonoids, carotenes of all kinds and phytosterols derived from food before appointed vegetable and legumes, seeds and dried fruits also.
- It is low in saturated fat and cholesterol because it incorporates lean fish and poultry as a main source of protein as well as fat dairy and lean red meats lesser extent. In addition, it almost does not offer trans fats because it incorporates fresh products and avoids processed ones.
These are the basic characteristics that describe the DASH diet: a diet rich in whole grains, legumes, fruits and vegetables with low- fat dairy and lean meats, especially fish and poultry.
A trait we should not forget this kind of power that can not only slow down and prevent hypertension but also benefit in other respects is proposed intake more fresh foods that help get nutrients like potassium, magnesium and calcium and Reduce others from processed foods such as sodium and trans fats.
If you want to implement the DASH diet, now you really know what it is, and remember that if you accompany it with other healthy habits you can get many more benefits.