Sarah Samaan - DASH Diet For Dummies

If your LDL level is high, then you may be more likely to suffer a heart attack or stroke, whereas high levels of HDL may help protect you. The optimal levels vary, depending on your other risk factors. These include hypertension, diabetes, smoking, and whether you’ve already started to develop cholesterol plaque in your arteries. For more about cholesterol and how to figure out your ideal numbers, check out Chapter 7.

Sometimes doctors refer to non-HDL cholesterol. Basically, this includes LDL and all the other forms of not-so-good cholesterol, including VLDL (very low-density lipoprotein) and IDL (intermediate density lipoprotein). These two bad actors are closely connected to triglycerides, another undesirable.

Triglycerides aren’t technically in the cholesterol family, but they’re part of the standard lipid profile blood test. These “blood fats” go up with foods that are high on the glycemic index (that is, foods with simple carbohydrates that quickly raise blood sugar and insulin response). Total carbohydrate intake isn’t as important as the intake of those simple carbs. Processed sugary foods are triglycerides’ best friends. It’s no surprise that a high triglyceride level is often considered a marker for an unhealthy lifestyle. High levels of triglycerides in the blood have been linked to higher risk of heart attack.

The effect of a strict DASH diet on cholesterol is modest yet still meaningful. In a study comparing DASH to a standard Western control diet, with no weight loss allowed, LDL dropped nearly 11 points. The diet, if followed to the letter, will actually drop HDL a little and have no effect on triglycerides.

If those results sound underwhelming, remember that the great thing about DASH is that you can modify it to suit your needs. For example:

If your LDL needs some work, back off the red meat, baked goods, and coconut oil, and add in more fiber (oats, beans, apples) and some soy-based foods (such as soy nuts, edamame, and tofu).

If your HDL is running low, try working in a few more monounsaturated fats and omega-3 fatty acids, found in foods such as olive oil, nuts, and fatty fish.

We show you more ways to make the DASH diet work for you in the recipes in Part 4.

If you’re struggling with your weight, you have plenty of company. More than two-thirds of Americans are overweight, and more than 40 percent are medically obese. A DASH meal plan can help reduce risk factors for heart disease, diabetes, and cancer. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes and certain types of cancer that are some of the leading causes of preventable, premature death.

Globally, the numbers continue to grow. As of 2017, 39 percent of adults were overweight with 13 percent classified as obese. Though genetics may play a role, there are three times as many people struggling with obesity as there were in the 1960s. These statistics result in 4.7 million premature deaths annually.

Stepping on the scale may feel like an act of courage, and sometimes it’s just easier to convince yourself that maybe your body weight is only skin-deep. In truth, it’s much more than a cosmetic issue. People come in all sizes and shapes, and there’s a wide range of healthy body weights, but after you cross the threshold into obesity, you open yourself up to a host of medical problems.

High blood pressure is a serious but easily overlooked consequence of being overweight or obese. If you are overweight, consider a 10 percent body weight loss for improved blood pressure and improved health. Losing just 10 pounds, however, can lower blood pressure as much as 10 points. We’ve also personally seen clients and patients reduce the amount of — and even eliminate — blood pressure medications they take after they commit to losing weight.

Obesity doesn’t just help blood pressure rise. It also aggravates other issues related to high blood pressure. For instance, heavier people tend to retain more fluid, which can lead to swelling in the legs, hands, and face, and in severe cases, congestive heart failure. Additionally, the more weight you carry, the more sensitive you may become to salt, which in turn raises blood pressure.

It’s estimated that obesity shortens the average life span by 10 to 20 years. That’s because that extra weight also raises your risk for

Arthritis

Cancer

Dementia

Diabetes

Heart disease

Intestinal disease

Lung disease

Stroke

We tell you more about these serious consequences of body weight in Chapter 8.

DASH wasn’t designed as a weight-loss program, but it’s perfect for the job. Why, you ask? Because a DASH diet is not overly restrictive, is chock-full of green leafy vegetables and fruit, is high in fiber (so it fills you up), and includes health-promoting foods that are lower in calories.

By choosing to eat the DASH way, you’ll add plenty of low-fat dairy products such as Greek yogurt. (Greek yogurt is higher in hunger-squashing protein than regular yogurt, and it’s a great source of calcium to boot.) Be sure to check flavored yogurt labels for added sugar (some of the sugars in yogurt are from its natural lactose). We like to use plain yogurt and add our own fruit or crunchy toppings like granola, nuts, or seeds. Plain yogurt is great for cooking and baking as well. Nuts are another DASH-friendly treat that calm the hunger beast with heart-healthy fats (just be sure to measure your portions, because nuts are calorie-dense).

Need more evidence? Consider the results of a 2010 study from Duke University, which evaluated the effects of a calorie-cutting DASH diet plus exercise for overweight and obese men and women. The four-month program, designed with a weight-loss goal of one half to a full pound per week, was tested against the DASH diet without weight loss and against a typical American diet. At the end of the four months, those on the weight-loss plan were down more than 20 pounds on average. Compared to their baseline numbers, systolic blood pressure had dropped by about 16 points, and diastolic by 10. DASH dieters without weight loss, on the other hand, lowered systolic blood pressure a respectable but not as impressive 11 points, and diastolic 7.5 points. On top of all that, those who lost weight with DASH were at lower risk for diabetes, had better lipid profiles, and could exercise for longer.

Diabetes is an illness that affects how the body processes glucose. When you eat, the body converts food into the most common form of energy: glucose. Glucose circulates in your bloodstream to be used as fuel for many parts of the body. In response to this, insulin is secreted to metabolize the glucose (in other words, deliver it to cells). Insulin is the hormone responsible for ensuring that the glucose in your bloodstream is put to work. All people with diabetes have problems with either producing or using insulin.

Since the 1970s, the prevalence of diabetes has more than doubled, and the number continues to rise. At the time of this writing, 34.2 million people in the U.S. have diabetes and more than 425 million people worldwide are living with diabetes. Many more are at high risk for developing the disease. It’s estimated that 1.5 million people are diagnosed in the U.S. alone each year. The vast majority of diabetes cases are the type 2 variety and in most cases are a direct consequence of diet, lifestyle choices, and obesity. Once known as adult-onset diabetes, this term is now a misnomer because more and more young children are being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes.