The DASH diet is specifically designed to prevent and control high blood pressure but also, may offer other benefits given the high nutritional quality of it. However, if we want to implement this type of feeding it is important to know what it really consists of and we will talk about that below.
What you need to know about the DASH diet
The name of this diet derives from its acronym in English: Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) , hence we can define this diet as the most recommended food strategy when looking for a prevention or reduction of high blood pressure.
However, it can also be very helpful when we try to lose weight or successfully face the treatment of a metabolic syndrome where obesity, hypertension, diabetes and, perhaps, other pathologies coexist.
Whatever the objective we pursue with its implementation, it is essential to know exactly what the DASH diet consists of, for which we leave you the following key characteristics that describe it:
- It has high levels of fiber, potassium, calcium and magnesium, so it must be included regularly and in adequate amounts whole grains, fruits and vegetables that are the basis of the DASH diet.
- It is low in sodium and refined sugars as pointed out by scientists in the United Kingdom , due in part to the great variety of fresh foods that it includes, since it proposes to avoid processed foods rich in these nutrients.
- It offers phytochemicals with an antioxidant effect in high proportions, especially flavonoids, carotenes of all kinds and phytosterols that derive from the aforementioned plant foods and from pulses, seeds and nuts as well.
- It is low in saturated fats and cholesterol because it incorporates fish and lean poultry meat as the main source of protein, as well as skimmed milk products and to a lesser extent lean red meats. In addition, it hardly offers trans fats because it incorporates fresh products and avoids the processed ones.
These are the basic characteristics that describe the DASH diet: a diet rich in whole grains, legumes, fruits and vegetables, with skimmed milk products and lean meats, especially fish and poultry.
A trait that we must not forget this type of diet that can not only stop and prevent hypertension but also benefit us in other aspects is that it proposes the intake of more fresh foods that help obtain nutrients such as potassium, magnesium and calcium and reduce others of the processed ones 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 the same of other healthy habits you can get many more benefits.