The DASH diet is more than the average weight loss diet or regimen. It is a healthy lifestyle that is designed to improve your health, fight high blood pressure , lower cholesterol levels, and slow the progression of kidney disease and diabetes.
What is the DASH diet? DASH stands for Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension. It is a diet plan developed to help with excess weight loss, become generally healthier, and lower blood pressure without medication. It is also designed to reduce sodium intake. The diet is also low in saturated fat, cholesterol, and total fat.
The DASH diet is rich is a variety of food nutrients that help lower blood pressure including potassium, calcium and magnesium.
As a result, this diet is good for heart health and people withmetabolic syndrome, high triglycerides, PCOS, diabetes, and/or hypertension.
DASH is the eating plan recommended by the NIH. It features foods that are low in saturated fat, total fat, and cholesterol, with a particular focus on fruits, vegetables, and low-fat dairy.
WHAT TO EAT
- Wholegrain and whole-wheat including bread, cereal, rice, oats and pasta
- Fruits
- Vegetables e.g efo riro cooked in very little red palm oil, fresh salad without dressing
- Sweet potatoes
- Some fish
- Poultry
- Red meat in small amounts
- Low-fat yogurt
- Skimmed milk
- Grilled or roasted poultry
- Tuna
- Small amounts of almonds and cashew nuts
- Kidney beans
- Local beans
THINGS TO DO
- Wash canned foods to remove some of the sodium content
- Always go for unsalted nuts
- Cook poultry without skin and fat
- Cut back your meat portion and allow more room for vegetables
- Go easy on cheese as it also contains high levels of sodium content
- Cook traditional soups with little oil especially mainstream vegetable oil. Use more of red palm oil but sparingly
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