The DASH diet is a good choice for people who are looking to lower their blood pressure.

Author: Chen Zhou, attending physician at Shanghai Changhai Hospital, doctor of medicine

Reviewer: Mei Xiaobin, Chief Physician, Shanghai Changhai Hospital

In today's society, the number of people suffering from various chronic diseases is increasing year by year. However, due to the continuous acceleration of the pace of life, many people have neglected the importance of healthy eating. Bad eating habits have undoubtedly accelerated the development of the disease, making the disease that could have been alleviated or controlled through scientific management more difficult to control or even worse. In view of this, it is particularly urgent and important to find and promote a scientific, reasonable and easy-to-implement diet. By adjusting the dietary structure and improving eating habits, it can not only effectively prevent the occurrence of diseases, but also provide necessary nutritional support for people who are already ill, slow down the progression of the disease, and promote physical recovery and health maintenance. Today, we will introduce to you a diet that is beneficial to your health - the DASH diet.

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1. What is the DASH diet?

The full name of the DASH diet is "Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension", which means "Dietary Approaches to Lower Hypertension" in Chinese. This dietary pattern was developed by a large hypertension prevention and treatment program (DASH) funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) of the United States. This program compared different dietary patterns and found a dietary pattern that can effectively lower blood pressure, and finally named it the "DASH diet".

The characteristics of the DASH diet are that it emphasizes eating more fruits, vegetables, beans and low-fat dairy products, eating less red meat, sweets and high-salt foods, and eating moderate amounts of whole grains, fish, poultry and nuts. Such a diet can provide rich potassium, calcium, magnesium, dietary fiber and protein, while reducing the intake of sodium, sugar and cholesterol, which is beneficial for controlling blood pressure and protecting cardiovascular health.

2. What are the benefits of the DASH diet?

First of all, the DASH diet can effectively lower blood pressure. If you stick to the DASH diet, you may feel the effect of lowering blood pressure in just 2 weeks. Moreover, if you reduce salt and weight at the same time, the blood pressure lowering effect will be more significant.

Secondly, the DASH diet can also prevent and control diabetes. The DASH diet can improve insulin sensitivity, lower patients' blood sugar levels, and reduce the occurrence of diabetic complications.

Thirdly, the DASH diet can also protect kidney function. The low-fat, low-sugar, and high-fiber characteristics of the DASH diet help reduce the metabolic burden on the kidneys, while also providing adequate nutritional support for kidney patients and improving their nutritional status.

Finally, the DASH diet can also improve other aspects of health. For example, it can lower cholesterol levels and prevent atherosclerosis; it can enhance immunity and fight infection; it can improve digestive function and prevent constipation; it is also beneficial to improve mental state and relieve depression and anxiety.

In short, the DASH diet is a nutritionally balanced dietary pattern with clear blood pressure-lowering effects, and is beneficial to blood sugar control, cardiovascular health, and kidney protection.

3. How should you eat the DASH diet?

The DASH diet is not a fixed diet plan, but a flexible diet principle that can be adjusted according to personal preferences, habits, and conditions.

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1. Basic points of DASH diet

The basic points of the DASH diet can be summarized in the following five words: more, less, appropriate, reduced, and low.

(1) More: Eat more fruits, vegetables, beans and low-fat dairy products. These foods are rich in potassium, calcium, magnesium, fiber and protein, which can help lower blood pressure and protect the kidneys. It is recommended to consume 300-500g of vegetables, 200-350g of fresh fruits and 300g of low-fat dairy products every day. Note that for these three types of foods that are beneficial to the human body, the emphasis here is on sufficient amounts. You need to make sure you eat enough every day.

(2) Eat less: Eat less red meat, sweets and high-salt foods. These foods contain more sodium, sugar and cholesterol, which can increase blood pressure and increase the burden on the kidneys. It is recommended to limit the daily intake of sweets to less than 25g; the daily intake of red meat should be limited to 120-200g.

(3) Moderate: Eat whole grains, fish, poultry and nuts in moderation. These foods provide high-quality carbohydrates, unsaturated fatty acids and trace elements, which can improve insulin sensitivity and cardiovascular health. It is recommended to consume 250-400g of cereals and tubers every day, of which more than half should be whole grains; eat fish and shrimp 2-3 times a week, 100-150g each time; eat poultry 1-2 times a week, 100-150g each time; eat 50-75g of nuts per week.

(4) Reduce: Reduce the intake of trans fatty acids. Trans fatty acids are a type of fat that is very harmful to the human body. They can increase blood pressure and cholesterol levels, increase inflammatory responses, and damage cardiovascular and kidney functions. The main sources of trans fatty acids include margarine and partially hydrogenated vegetable oils. This type of fat that is not good for the human body is also found in many processed foods and fast food. It is recommended to avoid or reduce the intake of these foods as much as possible.

(5) Low: Low-salt diet. A high-salt diet is one of the important risk factors for hypertension. At the same time, excessive salt intake will increase the metabolic burden on the kidneys and accelerate the damage to kidney function. It is recommended that each person's daily salt intake be controlled below 6g. In addition, many foods also contain sodium salt. You should learn to read food nutrition labels and choose foods with low sodium content. At the same time, you can try to use spicy or sour to increase the taste of food, such as trying to add a little chili or lemon juice for seasoning, which can also reduce the use of salt.

2. How to implement the DASH diet

The DASH diet sounds great, but how do you implement it? In fact, it is not difficult. Just follow these simple methods and you can easily eat delicious and healthy.

(1) Plan your diet: Make a weekly diet plan, list the foods and quantities to be eaten, and then purchase and prepare according to the plan. This can avoid making last-minute decisions about what to eat and choosing unhealthy foods. It should be noted that for people with different diseases, whether the DASH diet is suitable needs to be judged based on their condition, and the specific diet plan also needs to be adjusted individually under the guidance of a doctor.

(2) Diversify your diet: Don’t always eat the same food, try foods with different colors, flavors, and nutrients. This can increase the fun of eating and provide more nutrients.

(3) Pay attention to your eating environment: Don’t watch TV, play with your phone, or do other things while eating. Concentrate on enjoying your food. This will help you feel fuller and more satisfied, and also reduce the amount of food you eat.

(4) Reward yourself appropriately: Do not completely prohibit yourself from eating some of your favorite but unhealthy foods. You can give yourself some "small rewards" occasionally. This can avoid the psychological state of anorexia or binge eating, and can also be more motivated to stick to the DASH diet.