Sarah Samaan - DASH Diet For Dummies

Many medications exist that are effective at treating hypertension, and the average person with hypertension requires at least two to three of these medications to really get the problem under control. But due to costs, side effects, and complications, many people never achieve normal blood pressure numbers. Why not save yourself some hassle and prevent hypertension in the first place by following the DASH diet?

It seems like every year a new diet book comes out, full of promises and complete with enthusiastic endorsements from the celebrity-du-jour. Is the DASH diet really any different? Absolutely, 100 percent. No doubt about it.

DASH is science-based. It was developed based on reams of scientific research that identified certain foods as being especially beneficial for blood pressure. The DASH team put their highly educated heads together and came up with a diet that incorporated those foods into an easy-to-follow, inexpensive program that they believed would really make a difference. And make a difference it does. Not only can DASH help lower blood pressure, but it can also help with weight loss (thanks to eating more fiber-rich whole grains, fruits, and vegetables), reduce diabetes risk (thanks to complex carbohydrates), and more. Head to Part 2for an in-depth look at all the benefits DASH provides for your health.

DASH isn’t just for adults who have or are at risk for hypertension. It’s an approach to eating that’s healthy for most children as well. Why talk about DASH and kids? Consider the fact that since the 1970s, American children between the ages of 6 and 11 are now consuming

Triple the amount of salty snacks

Nearly double the amount of candy

More than 40 percent fewer vegetables

Half the amount of milk

Twice the amount of soda

It’s no wonder that more than one-third of U.S. kids are overweight or obese and are at risk for developing a condition known as the metabolic syndrome (the result of a cluster of risk factors including obesity, high blood pressure, abnormal blood lipid levels, and elevated blood sugar), which substantially raises the risk of heart disease, stroke, and diabetes. The good news is that the DASH diet has the potential to help kids who are heading down this road. For instance, a British study of girls with metabolic syndrome found that after spending just six weeks on DASH, blood pressure and insulin levels were improved compared to those who weren’t assigned to DASH. Another study that simply tracked the diets of young girls over the course of ten years reported that those whose diets simply included two or more servings of dairy and at least three servings of fruits and vegetables daily were one-third less likely to have high blood pressure by the time they hit their late teens.

When it comes to kids, it’s up to parents to provide healthy food options and keep unhealthy snacks to a minimum. DASH keeps it simple by giving you a structure that you can follow to put together nutritious meals for your family. And of course, in Part 4of this book, we share loads of great recipes that can help you get started. As always, get your pediatrician’s or family doctor’s approval before jumping right in.

Scientists know that sometimes an idea can make perfect sense on paper and fail miserably when put to the test. Without a scientific study that randomly assigns individuals to one diet or another, with as many variables as possible controlled by the research team (what scientists call a randomized, controlled trial ), you’re just going on an assumption. You also need to set your goals ahead of time and then conduct the study in such a way that it’s as unbiased as possible. Next, when it’s all said and done, you need to do a detailed statistical analysis and then tidy up the whole mess into a neat and obsessively thorough report. Finally, you submit your work for review by other well-respected and uninvolved scientists (what’s known as peer review ). This meticulous attention to detail and strict scientific method are what set DASH apart from so many other diet plans.

Unlike some medical prescriptions, DASH works for just about anyone. It includes enough variety and room for modification so that most people, even those with dietary restrictions, can make it their own. You just have to follow some simple dietary guidelines and commit to making positive lifestyle changes, as we explain in the next sections.

Every type of food included in DASH has a purpose, as you can see from the following list:

Whole grains give you plenty of fiber, potassium, magnesium, and antioxidants, all of which help support the health of your cardiovascular system and lower your blood pressure. A world of difference exists between refined flour and whole-grain flour because after the rough part of the grain is stripped away, most of the nutrients are gone as well. If you need to steer clear of gluten (a protein abundant in wheat, barley, and rye products), you have a variety of interesting whole-grain options to choose from, including quinoa, millet, rice, and oats.

Fruits and vegetables offer blood pressure–friendly nutrients galore, including a wide range of vitamins and antioxidants, plus potassium and fiber. Although whole grains also provide a similar list of healthy elements, the variety supplied by fruits and vegetables is very different. Your body is an incredibly complex system, so you can’t rely on just one category of food to give you everything you need.

Low-fat dairy foods have been strongly linked to a lower risk for hypertension because they’re rich in vitamin D, calcium, magnesium, and potassium; high in protein; and low in saturated fat and calories. There’s also good evidence that dairy foods may reduce the likelihood of stroke, a common complication of high blood pressure. If you’re lactose intolerant, check with your doctor and see whether a lactase supplement may help you enjoy these healthy foods. We provide more pointers on how dairy can fit into your DASH diet in Chapter 11.

Lean meats, fish, and poultry provide plenty of protein to build a healthy and strong body, while limiting your exposure to saturated fats and calories. Although DASH hasn’t been specifically tested in vegetarians, it’s easily adaptable, especially because animal protein is a proportionately smaller part of the plan than it is in a typical Western diet. If you’re a vegetarian, try substituting soy products or other high-protein, vegetable-based options. Of course, nuts and seeds (see the next bullet) also supply some protein. In Chapter 21, we whip up some terrific meat-free recipes to help get you started.

Nuts, seeds, and legumes provide heart-friendly, plant-based protein, along with healthy fats, fiber, and magnesium. Peanuts and soy nuts are, technically speaking, members of the legume family, which also includes beans, chickpeas (found in hummus), and lentils. Although the calories can add up quickly, especially if you’re a nut lover, they come from healthy fats and are a much better choice than typical snack-food fare.

DASH is important not only for the foods it includes but also for those it limits:

Fats and oils are limited but not out of bounds in the DASH diet. Since the time that DASH was developed in the 1990s, more recent research has confirmed the benefit of foods rich in omega-3 fats, such as oily fish, as well as monounsaturated fats like olive oil. A second set of studies known as Omni-Heart confirmed that switching out a small portion (about 10 percent) of carb-based calories and replacing them with healthy monounsaturated fats can make DASH even more effective, as long as the calories remain the same.