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The DASH Diet is the Dietary Approach to Stop Hypertension
(DASH). In addition to the word “diet,”
it is also referred to as an “eating plan” and sometimes
it’s called the DASH Diet Eating Plan.
Every year the US News and World Report uses a panel of
health experts and ranks 35 popular diets in the country.
For each diet, they look at the following:
·
Relatively easy to follow
·
Nutritious
·
Safe
·
Effective for weight loss
·
Protective against diabetes and heart disease
The DASH has proven itself! In the past five years the DASH
Diet has ranked as the number one overall diet for the US
News and World Report. It has been around for a long time
and studies show that those who follow it have benefited in
the following ways: lower blood pressure, increase “good”
HDL cholesterol and decrease “bad” LDL cholesterol.
For some people, getting used to the taste of less salt is a
challenging part of the diet but they are encouraged to use
more herbs to flavor food. The diet does not have special
foods to eat but is based on getting a variety of foods from
fruits, vegetables, lean protein, milk and whole grains. It
was not designed as a weight-loss diet, the emphasis was on
reducing hypertension or high blood pressure.
Weight loss is often an additional benefit for many people
who choose to follow the recommendations. The DASH eating
plan is considered safe but with any new diet and physical
activity, it is advised that you talk with your doctor. It
would probably make most of our doctors happy to hear that
we are interested in the DASH Diet.
If you are interested in following the DASH Eating Plan,
there are a couple ways to get more information. One way is
online at the National Heart Lungs and Blood Institute
website. There is a booklet that explains the benefits of
the diet, gives a seven-day menu plan and recipes for all
the days of the week.
The recipes are as easy as, chicken and rice, potato salad
and turkey meat loaf. The booklet can be found at
http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/files/docs/public/heart/new_dash.pdf.
If you are interested in a brief, six-page overview with a
one-day menu plan, visit
http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/files/docs/public/heart/dash_brief.pdf
There have also been a variety of DASH Diet cookbooks
written by Marla Heller, MS, RD (registered dietician)
through the years. The most recent one was published on
December 30, 2014 and is titled, The DASH Diet Younger
You. Shed 20 Years – And Pounds – in Just 10 Weeks. Can
you picture 10 weeks from today? If we all started
following the recommendations in the book today, we could
shed 20 years by the middle of April!
You do not have to use their cookbooks to follow a DASH diet
but if you are looking for inspiration for easy, tasty food
you might want to check one of the DASH Diet books out from
the library. The DASH Diet promotes any recipes that focus
on lean poultry and fish, beans, seeds, nuts, whole grains,
fat-free or low-fat milk, vegetables and fruits. It also
promotes low-sodium recipes and also decreasing amounts of
sugar and saturated fat.
Just like the new DASH Diet book looks ahead 10 weeks, the
11th Annual Toledo GROWs Seed Swap is scheduled
this month and will look ahead to springtime! Whether you
are an experienced gardener or have never gardened before,
everyone is invited to this community event. The focus is
on gardens, especially vegetable gardens and you will find
workshops, gardening advice, children’s activities and more!
Stop by the OSU Extension, Lucas County table to learn about
the horticulture hotline as well as pick up some easy,
healthy recipes. Gardening is good for our overall health
from eating to exercising.
The Toledo GROWs 11th Annual Seed Swap is on
Saturday February 28, 2015 from noon until 3:00pm at
Woodward High School, 701 East Central Avenue, Toledo, OH
43608. Don’t worry if you are new to gardening and don’t
have seeds to swap. Don’t worry if you don’t have a lot of
space to garden. There are options for everyone. Last year,
over 1,000 people of all ages attended.
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