Lower blood pressure with DASH diet
The Dash Diet Plan is a plan written by Marla Heller who is a registered dietician. The diet was designed to help people who have hypertension or have been diagnosed as prehypertensive by their physician. The diet can also be utilized by people who need to lower their cholesterol levels, reduce insulin resistance (which slows fat burning and sugar metabolism by the body) or as a good weight loss program when combined with moderate to brisk exercise.
The diet plan is one that is rich in vegetables, fruits and grains, low fat or non fat dairy, and nuts or legumes. It limits meat consumption to 1-2 small servings of lean fish, chicken or turkey per day. It also severely limits the consumption of sweets, desserts, and fats to less than one serving per day.
The diet plan includes the following servings per day on a 2000 calorie per day diet.
7-8 servings of grains (at least 3 should be whole grains)
4-5 servings of vegetables
4-5 servings of fruits
3 servings of low fat or no fat dairy products
1-2 servings of lean chicken, turkey or fish (Not Fried)
4-5 servings of nuts, seeds or legumes
1 serving of fats, sweets, or dessert (recommended only 2-3 times weekly or less)
Women may need to follow a lower calorie diet per day to facilitate quicker weight loss. Most recommendations for women call for 1200-1500 calories per day. Women wanting to utilize the diet above can follow the recommendations except cut down on the following servings per day:
4-5 servings of grains per day (3 should still be whole grains)
1 serving of lean chicken, fish or turkey (Not Fried)
1 serving of fats, sweets or desserts weekly instead of 2-3 times per week
The diet may seem very simple to follow, however studies have shown that most people only eat two to three servings of fruits and vegetables a day so this diet will take some adjustment. It is recommended to journal your daily intake for a few days and compare it to the DASH diet then see where you can incorporate the changes. Plan your next few days diet and go ahead and shop for those foods and ingredients. This way it will be much easier to adhere to the diets requirements. The biggest issue with most people is cutting down to the appropriate amounts of meats and sweets that are allowed on the diet.
The DASH diet has been shown to lower blood pressure readings within two weeks of starting the diet. It has shown most helpful alone for those who are prehypertensive. The diet works well for persons who are hypertensive while utilizing it in conjunction with taking their blood pressure medication and have regular consultations with their physician in order to adjust medications as needed when results of the diet are realized.
The diet has shown as well to lower cholesterol levels which is beneficiary to those concerned about heart and circulatory health. It has been shown as well to decrease insulin resistance. This is an issue with people who seem to have hard times losing weight due to this condition.
A long term study that came out in April, 2008 has shown that following this diet long term can cut down healthy women’s chances of heart attack or stroke. It showed that women who used this diet were 24% less likely to have a heart attack and 18% less likely to have a stroke than other women who ate a more traditional type of diet. This is great news as science is showing that women are much more prone to these health concerns than anyone knew in the past and it is very important for women especially to look to improve their heart and circulatory health now.
The Dash Diet Plan is a plan written by Marla Heller who is a registered dietician. The diet was designed to help people who have hypertension or have been diagnosed as prehypertensive by their physician. The diet can also be utilized by people who need to lower their cholesterol levels, reduce insulin resistance (which slows fat burning and sugar metabolism by the body) or as a good weight loss program when combined with moderate to brisk exercise.
The diet plan is one that is rich in vegetables, fruits and grains, low fat or non fat dairy, and nuts or legumes. It limits meat consumption to 1-2 small servings of lean fish, chicken or turkey per day. It also severely limits the consumption of sweets, desserts, and fats to less than one serving per day.
The diet plan includes the following servings per day on a 2000 calorie per day diet.
7-8 servings of grains (at least 3 should be whole grains)
4-5 servings of vegetables
4-5 servings of fruits
3 servings of low fat or no fat dairy products
1-2 servings of lean chicken, turkey or fish (Not Fried)
4-5 servings of nuts, seeds or legumes
1 serving of fats, sweets, or dessert (recommended only 2-3 times weekly or less)
Women may need to follow a lower calorie diet per day to facilitate quicker weight loss. Most recommendations for women call for 1200-1500 calories per day. Women wanting to utilize the diet above can follow the recommendations except cut down on the following servings per day:
4-5 servings of grains per day (3 should still be whole grains)
1 serving of lean chicken, fish or turkey (Not Fried)
1 serving of fats, sweets or desserts weekly instead of 2-3 times per week
The diet may seem very simple to follow, however studies have shown that most people only eat two to three servings of fruits and vegetables a day so this diet will take some adjustment. It is recommended to journal your daily intake for a few days and compare it to the DASH diet then see where you can incorporate the changes. Plan your next few days diet and go ahead and shop for those foods and ingredients. This way it will be much easier to adhere to the diets requirements. The biggest issue with most people is cutting down to the appropriate amounts of meats and sweets that are allowed on the diet.
The DASH diet has been shown to lower blood pressure readings within two weeks of starting the diet. It has shown most helpful alone for those who are prehypertensive. The diet works well for persons who are hypertensive while utilizing it in conjunction with taking their blood pressure medication and have regular consultations with their physician in order to adjust medications as needed when results of the diet are realized.
The diet has shown as well to lower cholesterol levels which is beneficiary to those concerned about heart and circulatory health. It has been shown as well to decrease insulin resistance. This is an issue with people who seem to have hard times losing weight due to this condition.
A long term study that came out in April, 2008 has shown that following this diet long term can cut down healthy women’s chances of heart attack or stroke. It showed that women who used this diet were 24% less likely to have a heart attack and 18% less likely to have a stroke than other women who ate a more traditional type of diet. This is great news as science is showing that women are much more prone to these health concerns than anyone knew in the past and it is very important for women especially to look to improve their heart and circulatory health now.
No comments:
Post a Comment