Sarah Samaan - DASH Diet For Dummies

Not all stress is created equal. There’s good stress, which you have control over, and then there’s the bad kind, which leaves you feeling overwhelmed and powerless. Guess which form of stress is harmful? Of course, it’s the second type. Sometimes you can get away from this sort of stress, but sometimes it’s just a part of your work or family life.

Stress can seem like so much a part of everyday life that it becomes hard to recognize, but the truth is that it can affect your health. Perhaps you don’t realize it, but when you’re stressed you may be more apt to reach for a cookie or a soda rather than an apple or a handful of nuts. Sometimes these cravings mean that you’re searching for an instant energy boost, but processed foods only serve to cause a vicious cycle of craving and hunger. Keep these foods out of reach and you may find that you’re better able to manage the stress that comes your way.

Not surprisingly, stress can also have a direct influence on your blood pressure. By leaving an unhappy job or a difficult relationship, you may suddenly find that your blood pressure is much easier to manage. Of course, sometimes you can’t, or don’t want to, get away from the situation that’s causing the problem, but many times there’s something about it that you can change for the better. Don’t give up on yourself just because it seems difficult. Your health depends on you taking good care of yourself.

Stress can also cause poor sleep, which itself may lead to high blood pressure and cravings for unhealthy food. Getting to the root of the problem may help you sleep better.

When dealing with stress above and beyond the daily annoyances, it often helps to enlist the services of a well-qualified counselor. By doing so, you’ll find it much easier to get your life back on track, and the healthier choices may begin to come more naturally.

By choosing DASH, you’re affirming a commitment to good health and vitality. Unlike many other diet plans, DASH doesn’t explicitly tell you what to do; there are no gimmicks, supplements, or products that you need to make it work. Instead, DASH offers a range of options that you can use to build a diet that works specifically for you. Though this framework may seem a little intimidating at first, you’ll find that such flexibility is exactly what makes DASH so useful and so doable. Choices abound in the real world, and DASH gives you a structure that helps you make healthy sense of the options.

Does the word diet make you think of dreary, boring meals; deprivation with nothing to look forward to; and miserable nights spent alone avoiding social situations where food may appear? We promise that’s not the life you’ll be living when you adopt DASH. Although the word diet is often used in conjunction with DASH, we’re here to show you how DASH is different and how it can be part of a healthy, vibrant, and delicious way of eating and living.

One of the really wonderful things about DASH is that it gives you such broad leeway to make your own personal choices about the foods that you eat. Studies of DASH have incorporated the plan into menus all over the world, including the United States, Asia, Europe, South America, and the Middle East. The thing really works!

For many people, the number of servings of fruits and vegetables is an eye-opener. If you follow DASH, you’ll naturally start to peruse the produce aisles with more curiosity, and you’ll probably begin to take some chances, bringing home unfamiliar produce to try at home. You can think of it as a great adventure!

The DASH diet is lower in sodium than a typical Western diet, which may take some adjustment for you. Be patient with your taste buds as you cut back on the salt because it may take them several weeks to adapt. If you cut back slowly, it won’t seem like you’re giving something up, and you’ll probably find that you’re enjoying the natural flavors of foods so much more than ever before.

Sweets and other simple carbs may be a bit harder to renounce, but, just like salt, you’ll eventually realize that, first of all, many packaged sweets usually don’t taste as good as advertised, and second, you’ll actually feel better if you limit portions to just a small taste of something homemade and really good. Plus, as you cut back on sweets, you’ll crave them less often.

We share additional guidance on adopting a DASH way of life in Chapter 11, as well as a 14-day meal plan you can follow. For help setting up your kitchen for your new cooking adventures, see Chapter 13. Or for advice on following DASH when dining out or traveling, see Chapter 15.

It’s tempting to think that rather than having to bother with healthy eating, you may be able to get your nutrition from a pill or a powder. It often seems all Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, but like those hapless kiddos who fell victim to the magical “three-course meal in a stick of gum,” it just doesn’t work out the way you’d think it should. You may be surprised to know that the world of supplements is largely unregulated, so manufacturers face little accountability.

Over the years, trends have come and gone for a wide variety of supplements, including vitamin E, high dose folic acid, selenium, L-arginine, and others. When put to the scientific test, these supplements and their counter-mates have often had unintended consequences, including a greater risk for certain cancers, diabetes, and heart disease. Other supplements used for weight loss and energy may put you at risk for heart rhythm disturbances, heart attacks, and strokes. And while a multivitamin probably won’t hurt you, there’s little evidence that it will do you much good, either.

Whole foods are very different from supplements. Their natural goodness is balanced in a neat package created by Mother Nature, with literally dozens of nutrients in a single bite. Your body was designed to use foods in their natural form. By overwhelming your system with massive doses of a single substance, you may be setting yourself up for unintended consequences.

Of course, there are exceptions. For instance, many people are deficient in vitamin D, and in these cases, a supplement can be helpful. The same may apply to iron and certain B-vitamins. Your doctor can test you to see whether your levels are low. Other supplements, like fiber, can help with constipation and even lower cholesterol. And sometimes a protein shake can be a reasonable replacement for a single meal. But before you take a product’s claim on faith, check in with your doctor or a registered dietitian.

Hypertension, diabetes, heart disease, obesity. All these conditions, and more, can be impacted by your lifestyle, and they can weigh you down if you allow them to. Fortunately, you don’t have to. Making positive changes in the way you eat and the way you choose to spend your time can have a lasting impact on your health and the overall quality of your life. No matter what challenges you may have in your life, never give up or give in. Life is too precious.