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Eat to Good Health with DASH Plan

Posted: March 1, 2007

Recent studies show that blood pressure can be lowered by following the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) eating plan — and by eating less salt, also called sodium. It's easy to adopt the DASH eating plan. Here are some ways to get started:

Change gradually

• If you now eat one or two vegetables a day, add a serving at lunch and another at dinner.
• If you don't eat fruit now or have juice only at breakfast, add a serving to your meals or have it as a snack.
• Gradually increase your use of fat-free and low-fat milk and milk products to three servings a day. For example, drink milk with lunch or dinner, instead of soda, sugar—sweetened tea or alcohol. Choose fat-free (skim) or low-fat (1 percent) milk and milk products to reduce your intake of saturated fat, total fat, cholesterol, and calories and to increase your calcium.
• Read the Nutrition Facts label on margarines and salad dressings to choose those lowest in saturated fat and trans fat.

• Limit lean meats to 6 ounces a day. Have only 3 ounces at a meal, which is about the size of a deck of cards.
• If you now eat large portions of meats, cut them back gradually— by a half or a third at each meal.
• Include two or more vegetarian-style (meatless) meals each week.
• Increase servings of vegetables, brown rice, whole wheat pasta, and cooked dry beans in meals. Try casseroles, whole wheat pasta, and stir-fry dishes, which have less meat and more vegetables, grains and dry beans.

• Fruits and other lower-fat foods offer great taste and variety. Use fruits canned in their own juice or packed in water. Fresh fruits require little or no preparation. Dried fruits are a good choice to carry with you or to have ready in the car.
• Try these snack ideas: unsalted rice cakes; nuts mixed with raisins; graham crackers; fat-free and low-fat yogurt and frozen yogurt; popcorn with no salt or butter added; raw vegetables.

• Choose whole grain foods for most grain servings to get added nutrients, such as minerals and fiber. For example, choose whole wheat bread or whole grain cereals.
• If you have trouble digesting milk and milk products, try taking lactase enzyme pills (available at drugstores and groceries) with the milk products. Or, buy lactose-free milk, which has the lactase enzyme already added to it.
• If you are allergic to nuts, use seeds or legumes (cooked dried beans or peas).
• Use fresh, frozen or low-sodium canned vegetables and fruits.

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