The DASH diet recommends eating more potassium-rich foods while consuming less sodium. Doing this lowers your risk of heart disease, bad cholesterol, and high blood pressure, but the benefits don’t stop there. The DASH diet also lowers your risk of developing colorectal cancer, breast cancer, and metabolic syndrome (a family of health disorders that increase the risk of stroke, heart disease, and Type 2 diabetes).
The DASH diet is one of the more flexible options out there as it doesn’t require you to eliminate your favorite foods, starve, or consume any specific type of food. Instead, the DASH diet is simply about incorporating heart-healthy meals into your lifestyle.
Most of the foods the DASH diet recommends can be found in most grocery stores. Generally, you want to stock up on low-sodium foods rich in calcium, potassium, magnesium, and fiber.
Some of the food items you should stock up on when starting the DASH diet include:
- Whole grains;
- Vegetables;
- Fruits;
- Low-fat dairy products like yogurt, milk, and cheese;
- Legumes, seeds, and nuts.
While the DASH diet isn’t particularly restrictive, some of the foods you should try to avoid include:
- Fatty meats like poultry with the skin on and red meat;
- Full-fat dairy products like butter, cream, and whole milk;
- Any oils that are solid at room temperature, like palm and coconut oil;
- Sugary beverages like soda, fruit juices, and sweetened coffee, and;
- Sugar-rich foods like desserts, baked treats, and candy.
The DASH diet doesn’t require you to eliminate all these foods from your diet completely to enjoy its benefits. These types of food raise your blood pressure, so take small steps to remove them from your diet. You can still enjoy these things occasionally – just don’t make consuming them a regular thing.
You’re free to eat lean meats on the DASH diet, but consuming no more than 6oz of meat per day is recommended. Many people overeat meat at the expense of vegetables and fresh fruits.
