Madeleine Hull
The DASH diet, or Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension, is a flexible and balanced eating plan that helps to lower blood pressure and cholesterol. The diet emphasizes eating fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and low-fat dairy, while limiting foods high in saturated fat and sodium. In addition to the standard DASH diet, there is a lower-sodium version that restricts sodium intake to 1,500 milligrams per day. The DASH diet has been shown to significantly impact blood pressure, especially when combined with sodium reduction, making it a recommended strategy for adults with pre-hypertension or stage 1 hypertension.
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What You'll Learn
The DASH diet is flexible and balanced, not a weight-loss programme
The DASH diet (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) is a flexible and balanced eating plan that helps create a heart-healthy eating style for life. It is not a weight-loss programme, but a commitment to a healthier lifestyle. The DASH diet is about making healthier food choices and can be adapted to meet your individual health needs. It is not about strict dietary limitations, or special foods, but rather nutritional goals.
The DASH diet recommends limiting foods that are high in saturated fat, such as fatty meats and full-fat dairy products. It also suggests reducing sodium intake, with a recommended daily upper limit of 2,300 mg, or 1,500 mg for a lower-sodium version of the diet. This is far less than the typical American diet, which can amount to 3,400 mg or more. The DASH diet encourages the use of sodium-free spices and flavourings, and buying foods labelled "no salt added" or "low sodium".
The diet is centred around fruits, vegetables, and low-fat dairy foods, with moderate amounts of whole grains, fish, poultry and nuts. It is a flexible plan that allows for gradual changes to be made, such as adding more fruits and vegetables to meals, and switching to whole grains. This can help prevent bloating or diarrhoea that may occur with a sudden increase in fibre. The DASH diet also recommends filling half your plate with fruits and vegetables, a quarter with whole grains, and a quarter with protein foods.
The DASH diet is not a quick fix, but a long-term commitment to a healthier lifestyle. It is about making small changes over time, which is more sustainable and helps to ensure that healthier eating habits are maintained. It is always recommended that you consult your healthcare provider before starting any new diet plan.
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It emphasises fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and low-fat dairy
The DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) diet is a flexible and balanced eating plan that helps create a heart-healthy eating style. It was named the "Best Heart-Healthy Diet" and the "Best Diet for High Blood Pressure" by US News & World Report in 2025. The DASH diet is not a weight-loss programme, but it can help guide you towards healthier food choices. The diet generally includes about 2,000 calories a day and recommends limiting foods that are high in saturated fat, such as fatty meats, full-fat dairy products, and tropical oils like coconut, palm kernel, and palm oils.
The DASH diet emphasises fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and low-fat dairy. It recommends eating lots of fruit, including apples, pears, peaches, berries, and tropical fruits like pineapple and mango. It also suggests eating lots of vegetables, including broccoli, carrots, squash, and tomatoes.
When it comes to grains, the DASH diet recommends swapping refined grains for whole grains like whole-wheat or whole-grain bread, whole-grain breakfast cereals, brown rice, bulgur, quinoa, and oatmeal. It's important to introduce these whole grains gradually to prevent bloating or diarrhoea, which can occur if your body is not used to a diet high in fibre.
The diet also includes low-fat or fat-free dairy products like skim milk, low-fat cheese, and yoghurt. These provide important nutrients like calcium and protein while keeping saturated fat and calorie intake low.
Overall, the DASH diet is a healthy and flexible eating plan that can help reduce sodium intake and promote a heart-healthy lifestyle.
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It recommends limiting foods high in saturated fat
The DASH diet, or Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension, is an eating plan designed to help manage and prevent hypertension, or high blood pressure. One of its key components is limiting the intake of foods high in saturated fat.
Saturated fats are commonly found in
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It lowers blood pressure and cholesterol
The DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) diet is a flexible and balanced eating plan that helps create a heart-healthy eating style. It is not a weight-loss program, but it can help guide you towards healthier food choices. The DASH diet recommends limiting foods that are high in saturated fat, such as fatty meats, full-fat dairy products, and tropical oils such as coconut, palm kernel, and palm oils.
The DASH diet can help lower your blood pressure and cholesterol levels, which is beneficial for your heart. Eating too many fats can cause high cholesterol and heart disease. The DASH diet limits fats and oils to two to three servings per day. A serving is 1 teaspoon of margarine or vegetable oil, 1 tablespoon of mayonnaise, or 2 tablespoons of low-fat salad dressing. When cooking, it is recommended to use vegetable oils like olive or canola instead of butter.
The DASH diet also emphasizes the consumption of vegetables, fruits, and low-fat dairy foods, as well as moderate amounts of whole grains, fish, poultry, and nuts. Eating more fruits and vegetables is beneficial for the heart as they provide fiber and vitamins. Additionally, the DASH diet recommends choosing lean protein sources and limiting sweets to five or fewer servings per week.
The DASH diet can help lower blood pressure, especially in people with high blood pressure, older adults, or non-white adults. Reducing salt intake can significantly affect blood pressure in these individuals. However, it is important to note that eating too little salt has also been associated with health problems, such as an increased risk of heart disease and insulin resistance. The recommended sodium intake for the DASH diet is 2,300 or 1,500 milligrams per day, depending on individual health needs.
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It has a lower-sodium version
The DASH diet, or Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension, is a flexible and balanced eating plan that helps create a heart-healthy eating style for life. It was named the "Best Heart-Healthy Diet" and the "Best Diet for High Blood Pressure" by US News & World Report in 2025. The DASH diet is not a weight-loss programme, but it can help guide you towards healthier food choices.
The DASH diet generally includes about 2,000 calories a day and recommends limiting foods that are high in saturated fat, such as fatty meats, full-fat dairy products, and tropical oils such as coconut oil, palm kernel oil, and palm oil. It emphasizes vegetables, fruits, and low-fat dairy foods, as well as moderate amounts of whole grains, fish, poultry, and nuts.
In addition to the standard DASH diet, there is a lower-sodium version. The standard DASH diet allows for up to 2,300 milligrams (mg) of sodium per day, while the lower-sodium version further restricts sodium intake to a maximum of 1,500 mg per day. Both versions of the diet aim to reduce sodium intake compared to a typical American diet, which can contain more than 3,400 mg of sodium daily. The lower-sodium version is in line with the American Heart Association's recommendation of an upper limit of 1,500 mg of sodium per day for all adults.
To achieve these lower sodium levels, the DASH diet recommends using sodium-free spices or flavourings instead of salt, avoiding adding salt when cooking rice, pasta, or hot cereal, and buying foods labelled "no salt added," "sodium-free," "low sodium," or "very low sodium." It may take several weeks for your taste buds to adjust to less salty foods, but using salt-free seasoning blends or herbs and spices can help ease the transition.
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Frequently asked questions
DASH stands for Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension. It is a flexible and balanced eating plan that helps create a heart-healthy eating style for life. The DASH diet emphasizes vegetables, fruits, and low-fat dairy foods, and moderate amounts of whole grains, fish, poultry, and nuts.
The DASH diet recommends limiting foods that are high in saturated fat, such as fatty meats and full-fat dairy products. The standard DASH diet allows for up to 2,300 milligrams (mg) of sodium per day, while the lower sodium version allows for up to 1,500 mg. The DASH diet also recommends using sodium-free spices or flavorings, buying foods labeled "no salt added," and gradually introducing low-sodium foods to adjust your taste buds.
The DASH diet helps to lower blood pressure levels and reduce the risk of heart disease. It can also help lower total cholesterol and lead to weight loss by guiding individuals toward healthier food choices.
