Elizabeth Koslo - The Easiest DASH Diet for Beginners: The Essential Guide To Lose Weight & Become Healthier, Fitter, & Younger From the Inside Out

The DASH diet isn't only about a reduction in salt intake, but also a therapeutic eating approach in the management of blood cholesterol, blood pressure, insulin sensitivity and weight. DASH is a flexible and balanced eating plan that helps create a heart-healthy eating style for life. DASH DIET can both reduce the risk of developing high blood pressure and lower a blood pressure that is already too high.

The DASH eating plan requires no special foods and instead provides daily and weekly nutritional goals. DASH stands for Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension which is a diet based on clinical studies. The research and science-backed plan is less likely about eating in small portions but more of a balanced eating plan for a healthy lifestyle. The diet was developed having the purpose of establishing a food-based strategy that lowers blood pressure and eventually allow a reduction on full reliance of chemical substances. It has since helped many people not only be able to control blood pressure, but reduce their risks of other related illnesses. Instead of using special diet foods, DASH sets forth daily nutritional goals targeting specific amount of calories a day.

It also promotes the involvement of the right amount of nutrients in food that can lower blood pressure. The DASH diet has been evolving over the years as new nutrition research emerges and expected to only keep improving with new information.

By following the DASH diet, you may be able to reduce your blood pressure by a few points in just two weeks. Over time, your systolic blood pressure could drop by eight to 14 points, which can make a significant difference in your health risks.

Because the DASH diet is a healthy way of eating, it offers health benefits besides just lowering blood pressure. The DASH diet is also in line with dietary recommendations to prevent osteoporosis, cancer, heart disease, stroke and diabetes. It has been proven to be an effective way to lose weight and become healthier at the same time.

It is full of fabulous, delicious, real foods. All of these benefits led to the #1 diet ranking by US News & World Report in 2011, 2012, 2013, and 2014. It is a healthy way of eating, designed to be flexible enough to meet the lifestyle and food preferences of most people. It can be considered to be an Americanized version of the Mediterranean diet, and to be easier to follow, since it has more specific guidelines. DASH encourages the dieter to consume less sodium, or salt, and increase their intake of magnesium, calcium, and potassium. This helps to lower blood pressure.

It is not a vegetarian diet, but it adds more fruits and vegetables, low- or non-fat dairy foods, beans, nuts, and other nutritious items. It also contains a high proportion of foods rich in antioxidants. The diet outlines an eating plan that is low in fat but rich in low-fat dairy foods, fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean protein, beans and nuts. It provides suggestions about healthy alternatives to "junk food" and encourages dieters to avoid processed foods. Since the diet focuses on eating the right foods with the right portions, it's also effective for short- and long-term weight loss.

In the past, researchers tried to find clues about what in the diet affects blood pressure by testing various single nutrients, such as calcium and magnesium.

These studies were done mostly with dietary supplements and their findings were not conclusive. Then, scientists supported by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) conducted two key studies. The first was called DASH, for Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension , and it tested nutrients as they occur together in food. Its findings showed that blood pressures were reduced with an eating plan that is low in saturated fat, cholesterol, and total fat, and that emphasizes fruits, vegetables, and low-fat dairy foods. This eating planknown as the DASH dietalso includes whole grain products, fish, poultry, and nuts. It is reduced in red meat, sweets, and sugar-containing beverages.

It is rich in magnesium, potassium, and calcium, as well as protein and fiber. The DASH study involved 459 adults with systolic blood pressures of less than 160 mm Hg and diastolic pressures of 8095 mm Hg. About 27 percent of the participants had hypertension. About 50 percent were women and 60 percent were African Americans. DASH compared three eating plans: A plan similar in nutrients to what many Americans consume; a plan similar to what Americans consume but higher in fruits and vegetables; and the DASH diet. All three plans used about 3,000 milligrams of sodium daily.