Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension diet

Abbreviation: DASH diet
A diet proven to treat stage I hypertension, consisting of generous amounts of cereals, fruits, and vegetables (for fiber, vitamins, and minerals), low-fat dairy products, nuts, and lean meats (to maximize protein intake without too much saturated fat and cholesterol). Guidelines for a diet of 2000 calories daily include seven to eight servings of grains and grain products; four to five servings of vegetables; four to five servings of fruits; two to three servings of low-fat or nonfat dairy products; two or fewer servings of lean meats, proteins, and fish. The plan also permits four to five servings of nuts, seeds, and legumes per week. It is recommended that sodium intake be less than 3000 g/day. The complete diet provides more specific recommendations for sodium. Compared with the diet recommended in the Food Guide Pyramid, this diet contains more fruits and vegetables but less fat. See: table SOURCE: National Institutes of Health. September 1998; revised May 2003. Facts about the DASH Eating Plan. http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/public/heart/hbp/dash/new_dash.pdf

Food Group	Daily Servings	Serving Sizes	Examples and Notes	Significance of Each Food Group to the DASH Eating Plan
Grains and grain products	7–8	1 slice bread; 1 oz dry cereal; 1/2 C cooked rice, pasta, or cereal	Whole wheat bread, English muffin, pita bread, bagel, cereals, grits, oatmeal, crackers, unsalted pretzels and popcorn	Major sources of energy and fiber
Vegetables	4–5	1 C raw leafy vegetable, 1/2 C cooked vegetable; 6 oz vegetable juice	Tomatoes, potatoes, carrots, green peas, squash, broccoli, turnip greens, collards, kale, spinach, artichokes, green beans, lima beans, sweet potatoes	Rich sources of potassium, magnesium, and fiber
Fruits	4–5	6 oz fruit juice; 1 medium fruit; 1/4 C dried fruit; 1/2 C fresh, frozen, or canned fruit	Apricots, bananas, dates, grapes, oranges, orange juice, grapefruit, grapefruit juice, mangoes, melons, peaches, pineapples, prunes, raisins, strawberries, tangerines	Important sources of potassium, magnesium, and fiber
Lowfat or fat-free dairy foods	2–3	8 oz milk, 1 C yogurt, 1.5 oz cheese	Skim (fat-free) or 1% (low fat) milk, skim or low fat buttermilk, fat-free or low fat regular or frozen yogurt, low fat and fat-free cheese	Major sources of calcium and protein
Meats, poultry, and fish	2 or less	3 oz cooked meats, poultry, or fish	Select only lean; trim away visible fats; broil, roast, or boil, instead of frying; remove skin from poultry	Rich sources of protein and magnesium
Nuts, seeds, and dry beans	4–5/ week	1.5 oz or 1/3 C nuts, 1/2 oz or 2 tbsp seeds, 1/2 C dry beans	Almonds, filberts, mixed nuts, peanuts, walnuts, sunflower seeds, kidney beans, lentils	Rich sources of energy, magnesium, potassium, protein, and fiber
Fats and oils	2–3	1 tsp soft margarine, 1 Tbsp low fat mayonnaise, 1 tbsp regular salad dressing, 2 tbsp light salad dressing, 1 tsp vegetable oil	Soft margarine, low fat mayonnaise, light salad dressing, vegetable oil	DASH has 27% of calories as fat, including fat in or added to foods
Sweets	5/ week	1 tbsp sugar, 1 tbsp jelly or jam, 1/2 oz jelly beans, 8 oz lemonade	Maple syrup, sugar, jelly, jam, fruit-flavored gelatin, jelly beans, hard candy, fruit punch, sorbet, ices	Sweets should be low in fat