The DASH diet or the dietary approach to stop hypertension is becoming one of the most popular diet plans that are effective and healthy to all people who try to change their quality of life for the better and stay healthy for as long as they can. The DASH diet is directed towards people who have risk factors for getting hypertension, people who want to prevent getting the disease, and people who are already affected by hypertension and want to control it to stop it from progressing any further and causing organ damage that isn’t easily repaired.
The DASH diet focuses on having more fruits and vegetables and less sodium, fat, and meat content. it was developed in the last decade of the 20th century after researchers noticed that many people who were on the vegetarian diet were noticed to have better blood pressure control and lower risks of getting heart disease but unlike the vegan diet the DASH diet doesn’t eliminate meat completely, in fact, it encourages consuming healthy portions of poultry and fish but fewer amounts of red meat and most of the meals are dependent greatly on fruits, vegetables, beans, lentils and whole grains with the least amounts of salt, sugar and fat content added. So you don’t feel hungry as it is not a restricting diet like many diets out there which makes it easier to stick to along with the added benefit of Being rich in potassium, calcium, magnesium, and fiber and lower on saturated fats and sodium it helps restore the body’s electrolyte homeostasis and allows the body to get rid of the built-up fluid inside that is usually one of the contributing factors to the development of high blood pressure. This diet has been shown to lower systolic blood pressure by 6.7 mmHg and diastolic blood pressure by 3.5 mmHg in two weeks which with consistency can lead to great results in controlling hypertension and lowering the medication dosage needed to control the disease.
Salt and hypertension:
Salt has been proven to be one of the main causes of high blood pressure through its action of increasing water retention in all body compartments, increasing systemic peripheral resistance, altering endothelial function, changing structure and function of large elastic arteries, and modifying the autonomic nervous systems effect on the cardiovascular system by increasing the sympathetic tone leading to vasoconstriction and faster heart rates.
All these reasons are the rationale behind the efficacy of the DASH diet as it is mainly centered around adding no more than one teaspoon of salt (about 2300 mg of salt) to all meals of the day to help prevent this rise in blood pressure and after a while, of getting used to the diet you cut this amount in half having only about a half of a teaspoon (about 1500 mg of added salt) all day But no less than that to avoid getting hyponatremia and unnecessary complications.
Advantages of the DASH diet
1. Improves cardiovascular health:
The DASH diets main purpose is to work on the common risk factors for developing heart disease such as obesity, the DASH diet makes it easier to lose weight through its lower fat and salt content that makes you less bloated and edematous along with using the stored fat for energy production, another important risk factor is the lipid profile that reduces the cardiac performance and vessel wall integrity if it isn’t favorable but the DASH diet lowers cholesterol, triglycerides, and low-density lipoproteins LDL levels noticeably through the limitation of saturated fats and processed food intake.
A very important factor as well is the positive estrogenic effects that phytochemicals present in the wide variety of fruits and vegetables have on the heart with the added benefit of lowering oxidative damage all these factors combined reduce your high blood pressure significantly and lowers your risk of getting cardiovascular diseases.
2. Helps you lose weight:
The DASH diet is full of healthy food ingredients that aim to enhance your health with its high fiber and protein content it can give you a sense of fullness and satiety and helps you cut down some of your calories to help you lose weight if this diet is implemented properly in our everyday lives with some exercise and some healthy lifestyle changes.
It can help a lot of people fight obesity, obliterate the risks that come along with it such as metabolic syndrome and enhance your quality of life.
3. Improves glycemic index:
Type 2 diabetes is one of the diseases that require a full life change in order to keep our bodies in balance and have better glycemic control and the DASH diet is one of the best diets that can help people with diabetes control their symptoms as it is full of fibers and low glycemic index, low energy-dense foods that usually lead to the unexpected high blood glucose spikes, it also adds the benefit of losing weight and helps give you more energy throughout the day along with the decrease in cardiovascular risk it improves the overall condition of diabetics and improves their way of living.
4. Delays kidney damage:
Research has shown that high salt intake leads to kidney damage in younger ages that ultimately results in secondary hypertension and chronic renal failure through its effect on increasing the renal vascular resistance subsequently increasing the glomerular capillary pressure and decreasing the overall glomerular filtration rate GFR and poor kidney function .
Another great effect the DASH diet has on the kidneys is that it prevents calcium oxalate stone formation through the extra content of citrate in fruits and vegetables that chelates these salts along with the great potassium content and lower protein content in the diet, and the increase in urine ph levels that protects against uric acid stone formation that all lead to lower chances of developing stones.
5. Helps fight inflammation:
The DASH diet has a great content of healthy fruits and vegetables that contain tons of antioxidants and anti-inflammatories that relieve some of the oxidative damage the body suffers from by the action of free radicals and its low salt content helps the body fight diseases without exaggerated inflammation and edema, the healthy protein content and low purines help the body control its uric acid levels and decreases the chances of flare-ups for people who suffer from gout.
6. Fights osteoporosis:
The DASH diet with its rich content of fruits and vegetables and low-fat dairy products enhances bone density and lowers the rate of bone turnover through the calcium sparing effect that potassium intake has on bones making bones denser and stronger, the phytochemicals present in fresh fruits and vegetables have also been shown to influence bone metabolism in a positive way which leads to lower risk of osteoporosis especially for old menopausal women who are at greater risk of fractures.
Limitations of the DASH diet:
As many people in the world suffer from hypertension they believe that the only treatment for it is a medical treatment that is only effective in improving their symptoms but in fact,going on a diet like the DASH diet and incorporating some healthy lifestyle changes like exercise and smoking cessation has even more benefits to our overall health than taking any medication alone it also helps people on medication to lower their required doses and reduces the risk of complications from these drugs.
Going on a restricting diet isn’t for everyone as not all people have the determination and drive to stick to these eating plans, but the DASH diet is actually better than many other types of diets with fewer restrictions and you get used to having bland food in no time and you will learn to fight the urge to have fast foods that are heavily salted and full of unhealthy saturated fats that harm you.
Fruits and vegetables that are fresh can be hard to find for some people or can be expensive if you try to get the higher quality organic ingredients, so it definitely requires some planning and preparing in order to have a good variety of ingredients that are rich in healthy nutritious
You have to learn to read labels to be able to understand what your food contains and learn to distinguish the types with too much sodium and fat in them so you can avoid them completely it is also best if you buy most of your food fresh from a farmers marketnot prepackaged and if you have to buy a product choose the one with the least amount of ingredients on the back as it is mostly a healthier option than the ones with all the added chemicals.
It can be hard for you to go and eat out with your friends as the food served in restaurants are usually full of salt and fat as the main sources of flavor so it is best to avoid all foods on the menu but for the salads and maybe you can request from the chef to not add any salt to your food and just find another way to season your food.
The food will be bland, and many people go the extra mile of buying salt-freeherbs and spices which could be tough getting used to in the beginning but the benefits of not adding salt to your food are way better than the taste that you get used to eventually as your palate adjusts to the blander version, some people even like their food bland better than salted. You can add more black pepper or use a citrusy dressing with olive oil and fresh herbs for seasoning in place of salt.
Food servings in the DASH diet:
For a healthy adult on a 2000 calorie daily energy requirement the recommended servings are:
- 6: 8 servings of grains, examples of a serving of grains consists of:
- 1 slice of bread it is best to choose whole grains like whole wheat brown bread to have the extra benefit of the healthy fiber content in it.
- half a cup of rice, pasta preferably brown rice, and homemade pasta with less refined wheat in them to ensure gut health.
- one ounce of dry whole wheat cereals is best to choose the types with the least amount of added sugars and colors.
- 4:5 servings of vegetables,examples of a serving of vegetables consists of:
- one cup of fresh leafy greens such as spinach and arugula are great sources of iron and vitamin k and are known to enhance hair and nail health as well as boost immunity
- half a cup of cooked vegetables like carrots and zucchini in order to get the most benefit out of these vegetables try to choose ones with different colors and textures in making your meals to get all sorts of antioxidants.
- 4:5 servings of fruits,examples of one serving of fruit consist of:
- one medium fruit apples, pears, peaches, berries there are a ton of fruits to pick from try to choose the fruits that are in season that look and smell fresh and use them in all sorts of recipes from smoothies to desserts or just on their own to get the needed vitamins and fibers from the fruits.
- half a cup of fruit juice it is best to make your own juices at home and mix all sorts of fruits together to get more benefits and stay away from juice boxes as they are mostly very high in sugar and lower in fiber.
- half a cup of dried fruits raisins, apricots are highly condensed sources of energy and nutrition with tons of fiber and iron, their only problem is that they are full of sugar but they are great on yogurts and in granola bars.
- 2:3 servings of low-fatdairy products, examples of a serving of dairy products consist of :
- one cup of milk, it is best to substitute full-fat milk or cream with fat-free milk along with your coffee in the morning or with nut kinds of milk if you have lactose intolerance.
- one cup of low-fat yogurt, add a cup of yogurt to your smoothies to benefit from its probiotics and calcium content, and try out greek yogurt with its higher protein and lower sugar content
- one and a half ounces of cheese try to Choose the types of cheese with the lowest possible salt content like ricotta, goat, swiss, fresh mozzarella, and cream cheese.
- Six ounces servings of lean protein, examples of aserving of protein consist of:
- one ounce of poultry, meat, seafood, it is best to use red meat less frequently and add more fresh seafood and fish to the diet to get a lot of omega 3 fatty acids that are good for our health and lower cholesterol levels in our blood.
- 1 egg in the morning with its healthy content of protein and fats can be a great start for the day.
- 4:5 servings of nuts seeds legumes every week, examples of a serving of nuts and seeds consistof :
- a third cup of unsalted nuts are great sources of omega 3 fatty acids mainly walnuts, almonds, and cashews they are great snacks that give you a satisfying toasty crunchy substitute to salty unhealthy chips.
- half a cup of legumes beans and peas are wonderful sources of protein and antioxidants such as edamame, peas, pinto beans… they are very versatile and fulfilling so making chickpea dips with some lemon and spices can be a great side dish to add to your meals.
- 2 tablespoons of seeds of any type, pumpkin seeds, and sunflower seeds for example are great sources of healthy fats and antioxidants that can be used as snacks with no salt added they will make you feel full with their great content of fiber.
- 2 tablespoons of nut butterlike peanut butter or almond butter are highly fatty and they are so easy to make at home with less sugar and salt content.
- 2: 3 servings of fat and oil, examples of a serving of fat consists of:
- one teaspoon of margarine or butter and you have to make sure to use the unsalted variety in lower amounts to be able to lose weight.
- a teaspoon of vegetable oil it is best to use extra virgin olive oil for cooking for its high content of healthy unsaturated fatty acids that decrease the risk of cardiovascular disease
- 2 tablespoonsof salad dressing best made with olive oil, some lemon juice, fresh herbs, and spices but without salt to add to all your veggie bowls.
- 5 servings of sweets and sugar every week, examples of a serving of added sugar consists of:
- one tablespoon of sugar, syrup, or jam, you should try to avoid adding sugar to your drinks as sugar is one of the main causes of obesity it is also advisable to stay away from soft drinks as they contain huge amounts of sugar in them that makes you addicted to the extra unnecessary sugar and harm your body.
High sodium foods to avoid:
- Fast food: pizza, burger, fried chicken …
- Salty snacks: chips,crackers, pretzels, salted nuts …
- Processed meat: bacon,sausage, ham, hotdogs …
- Salty prepackaged soups, pizza,frozen dinners …
- High sodium cheese: parmesan, Roquefort, blue cheese …
- Pickled food: pickles, kimchi, olives …
- Sauces and condiments: salad dressing, soy sauce, salsa, gravy …
- Baking mixes and boxed meals
- Tinned vegetables with added salt
- Canned products that are stored in brine like tuna and anchovies
- Seasonings that contain salt
- Salted butter
Hypertension and ways to prevent it:
Blood pressure is an important vital sign that indicates the force of blood pumping from the heart and the resistance and elasticity of the blood vessels. normally when the heart contracts to pump blood into the arteries to the body the systolic blood pressure is around 120 mmHg 20 and when the heart relaxes to collect the blood back from the body through the veins the diastolic pressure is around 80 mmHg 20 , if your blood pressure reading is 140 /90 or above in more than one setting you are considered to be a hypertensive and you will have to add some lifestyle changes to avoid exacerbating the problem and progressing to severe heart diseases, kidney diseases and strokes .Cardiovascular diseases are the leading causes of death from non-communicable disease in all countries of the world they are responsible for 32% of all global deaths with millions of people dying everyday there are many classes of cardiovascular disease including coronary artery disease, ischemic heart disease ,heart failure and strokes mostly attributable to obesity, hypertension, dyslipidemia, inflammation, smoking, and oxidative stress.
Some of the many great ways to reduce your blood pressure are:
1) exercise regularly:
Having a weekly workout routine is a fail-proof way to lower high blood pressure; as exercise helps your heart pump blood more efficiently and it lowers your resting heart rate and makes your arteries remain elastic and more dilated, all these effects combined can greatly lower blood pressure if done regularly along with the produced endorphins that open up your blood vessels.
2) losing weight:
Another great way to lower blood pressure is losing weight and going on a diet as this extra fat promotes stiffness of your arteries and build-up of atherosclerotic plaques that result in thrombosis and embolisms; so losing weight helps keep your arteries healthy and lowers the effort your heart has to go through to pump blood efficiently
One of the best effects of the DASH diet is that it helps you lose weight and improves your lipid profile through restricting unhealthy fat and salt consumption.
3) Smoking and alcohol consumption cessation:
These are two of the most important unhealthy habits that can lead to health deterioration with all of the toxic chemicals inside them that actually lead to more body inflammation and weaker blood vessels that ultimately cause cardiovascular disease.
4) Avoid stress:
Nowadays stress is one of the main reasons for high blood pressure so taking some time to yourself every day doing something you like, it can be a hobby or meditation anything that keeps you away from overthinking about things you can’t control, can help you control your blood pressure and improve your mental status.
5) Sleep well:
A good night’s rest is a great way to control high blood pressure as research has shown that people who have poor sleeping quality or unhealthy sleeping routines are more likely to suffer from hypertension and obstructive sleep apnea and all those problems increase the risk of having cardiovascular disease in the future.