So your physician just told you your blood pressure’s through the roof. Terrific. Something new to worry about, right? Been there, done that, got the prescription. But let me tell you, what if I said to you that you can lower those numbers without having to pop a pill every day? Enter the DASH diet – your new best friend in the battle on hypertension.
What the Heck is DASH Anyway?
DASH stands for Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension. Complicated name for “eat this, not that” if you don’t mind my opinion. But unlike those crazy fad diets that your co-worker won’t ever shut up about, this one actually has science backing up it’s claims. Like, real science. By people in lab coats and all.
The DASH diet was conceived by researchers probably tired of writing prescriptions. They wanted to figure out a food-based solution for America’s high blood pressure dilemma. And geez, they did!
DASH is akin to that pal who always warns you when you’re about to do something harebrained. “Perhaps decline the third donut, Steve.” Thanks a lot, DASH. Admire immensely the authorial voice.
Why Should You Even Care
Let’s get real here. High blood pressure is not something to play with. They named it the “silent killer” for a reason. It does not have the decency to reveal itself through nice, tidy symptoms. Nope. It just sneakily wrecks your arteries as you Netflix and chill in the background.
Here’s what high blood pressure can lead to:
- Heart attacks (not the exciting kind – there ain’t no such thing)
- Strokes (also super not-fun)
- Kidney damage (your mischievous beans!)
- Eye problems (bye-bye, 20/20)
On the bright side? Studies have shown the DASH diet can lower blood pressure in TWO WEEKS. That’s faster than most people spend watching an entire season of Netflix!
The DASH Diet Breakdown
Alright, let’s get to the point. Or rather, the fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and moderate meat of it.
Foods to Load Up On
Fruits and Vegetables: 4-5 servings of both fruits AND vegetables EVERY DAY. Yea, a lot. Your shopping cart’s gonna be full of fruit and veggies to the point where you’ll be stocking a farmer’s market. Deal with it.
Whole Grains: 6-8 servings EVERY DAY. Brown rice, whole wheat spaghetti, oatmeal – anything that looks like it could’ve been eaten by a wellness influencer on Instagram.
Lean Proteins: Fish, poultry, beans. 6 or less ounces of meat per day. Your caveman ancestors are up in arms, but your arteries are celebrating.
Low-Fat Dairy: 2-3 servings per day. Milk, yogurt, cheese – only the low-fat kind that aren’t quite so tasty as what you’re accustomed to. You’ll get used to it. Maybe.
Nuts, Seeds, and Legumes: 4-5 servings a week. These little bombs are packed with nutrients that make your blood vessels relax.
Foods to Ghost
Sodium: MVP. Attempt to keep intake at 2,300mg per day (or 1,500mg if you’re really committed). That’s one teaspoon of salt. ONE. TEASPOON. I’m crying thinking about it.
Sweets and Added Sugars: 5 or fewer servings a week. Your sweet tooth is gonna be angry with you for a short time. Send it my apologies.
Red Meat: Moderation. Sorry, steakhouse enthusiasts.
Alcohol: Only moderate levels. That’s one drink a day for women, two for men. Yes, that fancy cocktail is one even if it is in an adorable glass.
Real Talk: The First Week Is Tough
I am going to be blunt with you. The initial week on DASH? It is ugly. Your taste buds will protest like teenagers who are told they have to clean their room. Everything will be bland. You will dream of salt. You will even catch yourself nostalgically looking at the salt shaker during dinner.
But the thing is – taste buds are adaptable little creatures. Give ’em two weeks, and they’ll adjust. Now you’ll be tasting the actual flavors in food rather than just salt. Just like when you switch from regular to diet soda and it’s disgusting, but the regular soda will eventually taste like candy juice. Your body adapts.
Tips from Someone Who’s Been There
I gave DASH a shot after my physician gave me “the talk.” You know the one – where they lean over their reading glasses at your chart and take a big breath. So here is some hard-won guidance:
- Start slow. Don’t go all DASH all at once if you enjoy suffering. Begin with an additional fruit and vegetable serving daily, then taper off the salt slowly.
- Herbs and spices are your new BFFs. When you cut salt, you need something to make food taste good. Try out herbs, spices, vinegars, and citrus. My personal fave? Smoked paprika. That stuff makes cardboard taste good.
- Read labels like your life depends on it (because it kinda does). Sodium hides EVERYWHERE. That “healthy” frozen dinner? More than likely has a ton of sodium on it to preserve a small mammal.
- Prep your meal or die. Seriously. If you don’t plan ahead, you’ll be hungrier and crankier at the drive-thru, making bad choices that will come back to bite you on your next blood pressure test.
- Don’t be that guy who’s judging everyone’s diet. Nobody likes him. Nobody.
Does This Thing Actually Work?
The million-dollar question! Short answer: Heck yes.
Longer answer: Studies prove DASH will lower systolic blood pressure (the larger number) by 8-14 points. That’s as effective as some prescription drugs, without the neat side effects of dizziness or losing the sense of taste forever.
There are also more benefits than simply a decrease in blood pressure. DASH dieters observe:
- Better sleep (because your heart is not working overtime)
- More energy (go figure, good food works!)
- Weight loss (bonus benefit!)
- Improved cholesterol levels (two birds, one stone!)
Is DASH miraculous? Nope. Is it a magic pill? Also nope. It’s simply good sense eating that just happens to be really, really good for your cardiovascular system.
Will you have to make sacrifices? You bet. Will you fantasize about face-first diving into a bag of salty potato chips sometimes? You bet. But is it worth it to avoid the alternative – a lifetime on pills or worse? I think so.
Come on, nobody’s perfect. Even the most dedicated DASH enthusiast has pizza here and there. The goal isn’t perfection – it’s improvement. Your body doesn’t care what you ate yesterday; it cares about what you eat most of the time.
So why not try it? Your blood vessels will thank you. Your doctor will stop rolling his or her eyes at you. And who knows, maybe you’ll even coax your friends into following suit – although I’d hold out on that until they get their own alarming blood pressure reading, that is.
After all, the perfect diet isn’t the most restrictive one – it’s the one that you can really hold on to. And DASH, with its focus on real, whole foods rather than weird restrictions, is one that most humans can really stick to without entirely losing their grip.
Your future self just phoned. They said thanks for knocking out that blood pressure thing right away. Good decision.
Now pass the herbs and spices, because this meal requires SOMETHING.