Food Hospital - Dash Diet

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Food Hospital - Dash Diet

The DASH diet (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) is designed to help you maintain a healthy heart and to lower blood pressure by reducing cholesterol and saturated fat intake. It promotes the consumption of foods high in nutrients that can help lower blood pressure such as protein, dietary fibre, potassium, magnesium and calcium.

Accordingly, the DASH diet is rich in fresh fruit and vegetables as well as grains (especially wholegrains), lean meats, nuts, seeds, legumes and low-fat dairy products. It limits sugary foods and drinks, red meat and high fat foods.

Because the diet is high in fibre, it can cause bloating and diarrhoea in some people who are not used to it. This can be avoided by gradually increasing the amount of fruit, vegetables and whole grain foods over time. The benefits of the DASH diet can be further improved by also lowering your sodium intake.