How to Follow the DASH Diet
The DASH Diet is an eating plan aimed at people who are looking to lower their blood pressure. Studies have shown that people who follow the DASH Diet not only lower their blood pressure, but also their cholesterol.
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Instructions
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Learn how to read food labels. This is the first step in following the DASH Diet. You want to check each food label to see what ingredients make up the product.
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2
Choose your specific calorie amount for each day. The DASH Diet offers plans for people on a lower 1600 calorie a day diet and people on a higher 2000 calorie a day diet.
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3
Eat many whole grains. A person on the DASH Diet can have between 6 and 12 servings of grains a day. At least 3 of these grains should be whole grain.
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Include a good amount of fruits and vegetables in your diet. You need to have at least 4 servings of both fruits and vegetables each day.
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Buy low-fat and non-fat dairy products. You can have 2 servings of dairy each day, but they should be low-fat.
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Limit your number of sweets. If you want to follow the DASH Diet, you are only allowed an occasional sweet.
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Tips & Warnings
Although the DASH Diet was not created for weight loss, followers have found that they lose an average of 10 pounds while on the diet.
DASH stands for Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension.
