DASH Diet and Hypertension

DASH diet is originally recommended by National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) for reducing and controlling blood pressure in those with hypertension. DASH stands for Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension. It is proven to be able to reduce blood pressure within 2 weeks time. However, many recent studies shown that DASH diet also give benefits to normal people for good health.

DASH diet encourages inclusion of regular physical activity program for a better blood pressure reducing effect. DASH diet provides almost 55% of carbohydrate, 18% protein and 27% fat from total daily calorie intake. The main characteristics of DASH diet are:

 The advantages of DASH diet:

• Able to lower blood pressure (best effect seen in people with moderately high / prehypertension)
• For people of severe hypertension, DASH diet can help to improve response to medication besides lowering the blood pressure.
• Weight loss

Table 1: The recommended intake for different food groups in DASH diet (according to a 2000 kcal diet per day).

Food group	Daily servings recommended	Portion size	Comments
Grains and grain product	6 -8	1 slice bread 1 oz dry cereal ½ cup cooked rice	Provide majority sources of energy and fiber Prefer whole grains / unrefined grains.
Vegetables	4 -5	1 cup raw leafy vegetables ½ cup cooked vegetables ½ cup 100% vegetable juice	Provide high potassium, magnesium, and fiber.
Fruits	4 -5	1 medium fruit (i.e. 1 whole apple) ½  cup canned fruit ½  cup 100% fruit juice	Significant sources of potassium, magnesium, and fiber.
Non-fat or low-fat milk and dairy products	2 -3	1 cup milk 1 cup yogurt 1 ½ oz cheese	Provide rich sources of calcium and protein.
Lean meats, poultry, and fish	≤ 6	1 oz cooked meats, poultry , or fish 1 whole egg	Provide sources of protein and magnesium. Egg yolk intake should not be more than 4 per week (high in cholesterol)
Nuts, seeds, and legumes	4 -5 per week	1/3 cup nuts 2 tablespoon peanut butter ½ cup cooked legumes	Provide high sources of energy, magnesium, protein, and fiber.
Fats and oils	2 -3	1 teaspoon soft margarine 1 teaspoon vegetable oil 1 tablespoon mayonnaise	27% fat from total calorie intake as recommended in the DASH study
Sweets and added sugar	≤ 5 per week	1 tablespoon sugar 1 tablespoon jam 1 cup lemonade	Sweets should be low in fat

*The daily servings recommended and their portion sizes are of U.S. references.1 oz is approximately equals to 30 g or 30 ml.

Sources: U.S. Department of Health and Human Sevices, 2006.Your Guide 

to Lowering Your Blood Pressure with DASH: DASH Eating Plan.