Ben Oliver - DASH Diet: The Dash diet for beginners, DASH recipes, and teaching you how to lose weight with DASH fast!

DASH Diet

The Dash diet for beginners, DASH recipes, and teaching you how to lose weight with DASH fast!

Introduction

T hank you for taking the time to pick up this book about the DASH diet!

This book covers the topic of the DASH diet (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) and will teach you all about the diet and its many health benefits!

You will soon learn about why the DASH diet was created, what its many benefits are, the different pros and cons, and also a range of strategies to help you get the best results.

For your convenience, this book also includes some meal planning tips, and a range of different DASH diet recipes to choose from!

At the completion of this book you will have a good understanding of the DASH diet, and will be ready to make the change to a healthier lifestyle!

Once again, thanks for taking the time to read this book. I hope you find it to be helpful, and wish you the best of luck in your new, healthier lifestyle!

Chapter 1: What is the Dash Diet?

D id you know that an estimated 68 million adults in the United States suffer from high blood pressure? This issue is the leading cause of death and also increases the chance of both stroke and heart disease. In the darkness of this issue, there is a light at the end of the tunnel. There are steps you can take to prevent the issue of high blood pressure. We wish to introduce to you, the DASH diet.

DASH diet stands for Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension. This diet was developed by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood institute who is based in the United States. Just recently, the DASH diet was named one of the healthiest diets in the United States according to a panel of doctors.

The DASH diet was voted on its effectiveness based upon seven categories. These categories include: ease to follow, nutritional value, safety, short-term weight loss, long-term weight loss, management and prevention of diabetes and the prevention of heart disease. The best part is that this diet was even endorsed by the American Heart Association.

The DASH diet has been scientifically proven to lower blood pressure, lower high cholesterol, and reduces the risk of heart disease. This diet even works to ward off diabetes. As if these werent already wonderful benefits of being on a diet, the DASH diet offers a strategic way to lose excess weight. This is one of the main reasons why the diet has become so popular. However, it hasnt always been a diet that was designed to be a weight loss program.

While on the diet, people were losing an average of five pounds in their first two weeks. Then over the next two months, an average of 10 to 35 pounds was the reported loss. It should be noted that these results will vary from person to person. It is believed that this weight loss comes from the diets focus on eating foods that are healthier for us. These foods are lean proteins and healthy fats which give us the feeling of being full. When we are full, this helps us control our appetites so we do not over eat. In the next chapter, we will be going over some more specific details on the foods included in the DASH diet.

DASH Diet for High Blood Pressure

As you could probably imagine, having high blood pressure is incredibly unhealthy. If your blood pressure is above normal levels, this could increase the chances of having other health risks. Luckily, there are some steps you can take in order to gain control of your high blood pressure. This includes: maintaining a healthy weight, following a healthy eating plan, limiting your alcohol intake, adding physical activity to your daily routine, and taking medication if it has been prescribed by a physician.

If you suffer from high blood pressure, this is where the DASH diet really comes into play. By following the diets rules, it will help promote a much healthier life. Here are some of the restrictions you will adhere to if you decide to follow the DASH diet:

Sodium Intake

While on the DASH diet, you will be required to reduce the salt and sodium in your diet. This is due to the fact that salt makes your body retain water. If you take too much sodium into your body, the extra fluid that becomes stored is the reason your body raises your blood pressure. If you take in too much salt while having high blood pressure, it can counteract with blood pressure medicine. On average, adults should not consume more than 6 grams of salt per day. However, many of us consume much more than that limit. The DASH diet will make sure your sodium intake is at a healthy level.

While on the standard DASH diet, the recommended sodium consumption is about 2,300 milligrams of sodium per day. However, if you are on the lower sodium DASH diet, you will only be allowed 1,500 milligrams of sodium per day. Both versions were created to reduce the amount of sodium in your diet. On average, Americans take in about 3,400 milligrams of sodium per day. While the American Heart Association does recommend 1,500 milligrams of sodium per day, this level will vary depending on the person. If you are unsure, you should talk to your doctor and see what your recommended sodium limit should be.

Fruits and Vegetables

Much like most diets, people lose weight because they are eating healthily. Fruits and vegetables are full of the minerals, vitamins, and fiber that you need in order to keep your body in excellent condition. Some fruits contain potassium which is needed to balance the negative effects that salt has on your body. Through eating these healthy foods, it will have a direct effect on your blood pressure, and will even help lower it after following the diet for a while.

M agnesium, Potassium , Calcium

On the DASH diet, you will be required to eat foods that are rich in magnesium, potassium, and calcium. Some of these foods include: Skim milk, low fat milk, fat-free and low-fat cheese and even yogurt. These are all major sources of calcium and protein. In the diet plan chapter, you will be learning about all of the foods that will keep you healthy, keep you full, and keep you filled with energy to get you through your day. If you thought all diets were meant to make you miserable, you thought wrong. The DASH diet is all about eating what you want, in healthy proportions. Just because youre on a diet, doesnt mean you need to starve!

Alcohol

While some of you may be groaning at this point, there is a reason that everything needs to be limited to moderation. If you drink less alcohol, it will help you to avoid high blood pressure. Also, if you werent already aware, alcohol contains a lot of calories. An excess of calories makes you gain weight. The DASH diet recommends a limit of 21 units of alcohol for men per week and 14 units for women per week. However, if it gives you high blood pressure and makes you gain weight, why bother? There are other healthy alternatives to keep you in tip top shape!