Keep Your Heart in the Best of Shape with the DASH Smart Diet
Unlike other diet plans, the DASH diet is not aimed at losing weight and having the perfect hourglass figure, but at an even more critical condition: keeping your heard in the best shape it can be. The DASH acronym comes from Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension, and this is one of the primary purposes of the diet, which to work needs to adopt as a lifestyle and regular eating pattern.
This smart diet was created and promoted by National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (United States) to keep under submission one of the problems that were affecting the American people, Hypertension caused by unhealthy eating. This diet is designed based on three other foods which the Institute analyzed, none of which were completely vegetarian. However, the Institute incorporated more vegetables as they lacked peopleās healthy diets.
Cause and Effect:
Leading a more sedentary life behind the desk, exercising less. Eating tons of processed food has created a global issue. Hypertension is affecting around 1 billion people worldwide and is the leading cause of the cardiovascular disease (heart attacks, strokes, heart failure, etc.).
The controlled study of this smart diet has shown a massive decrease in blood pressure, both in hypertension patients. Pre-hypertension patients. Although the DASH diet modified the blood pressure in test subjects, they did not show any weight loss. Because the calorie intake remained similar while the food was healthier and better balanced. This diet can also be used while trying to lose weight and can be adjusted. So the subject consumes fewer calories per day than he or she would need to keep the current load. Simple as that.
How does it work?
Itās a well-known fact that healthy eating is the key to overall good health. In this case, itās all about the minerals, vitamins and fibres in the daily. Diet that will keep the heart in good functioning shape. Since it is aimed to improve the health of the population, this plan is available free online from start to end. There is a document which will help you calculate how many calories. You should consume per day and then tell you where to get them. This way, you can create your plan in the comfort of your home. Of course, it wouldnāt hurt going to a nutritionist. Talking about the DASH diet and how to tailor it better to your current physical shape and your needs.
There are four main pillars of the DASH diet:
ā¢ remove red meat from your daily diet and replace it with poultry and fish, in moderation. The most important thing is to eliminate processed meat and foods, so go for the natural, grass-fed file.
ā¢ reduce the salt quantity you usually eat. Most people nowadays consume way to much salt, more than they need to. Salt is essential for the functioning of the human body; however, too much of it is harmful. A seasoning alternative is herbs, dried or fresh, which will also bring some much-needed nutrients to the table.
ā¢ Whole grains and vegetables are your best friends, and each meal you have should be rich in those. The DASH diet is mostly based on these food groups as they contain the necessary nutrients (calcium, potassium, fibre, protein, etc.) to lower blood pressure.
ā¢ remove sugary foods from your diet, like sodas, sweets of any sort and any other processed sugar food. To satisfy your need for sweets, look over to the fruit section of the market.
Pros and cons:
Like any dietary plan and change in life, it is not easy to accept new habits, and it can be hard from some point of view. However, the benefits of the DASH smart diet are undeniable being primarily aimed at improving health and increasing lifespan.
Pros:
.Does not restrict any food group entirely
.Will decrease blood pressure, and the risk of cardiovascular disease
.Will help prevent and control diabetes
.Can help with weight loss if desired and tailored for this
.Meets all dietary guidelines
.Does not require additional food supplements (vitamins, minerals, etc.)
.Abundance of recipes
Cons:
ā¢ can be pricey as certain fresh vegetables are more expensive at some times of the year. Also, it will be overall more costly since raw food is more expensive than processed food or fast food.
ā¢ the tastes needs getting used. Since salt reduces this diet, nothing ill-feeling as you know it too, but after a while, your taste buds will get adjusted.
ā¢ Time consuming as you will have to go grocery shopping and then cook
ā¢ Do not usually cater to this diet as portions are quite large, salt is heavily used. Food is on the fatty (any sauce is made with butter). A workaround for this issue is to avoid any dishes that might contain fatty. Salty ingredients and ask the chef to cook using the minimum amount of salt (or none at all).
ā¢ Alcohol should also avoid in this diet
How to get started
Starting this smart diet is very easy theoretically as all the materials you need are available online. They will guide you through the entire process, from calculating your daily calorie need to planning the menu for a whole week.
However easy this may sound it is not quite so when getting down to business. As there is a huge preparation involved and a lot of time spent cooking. Of course, you will get the hang of it sooner or later. And in a while, the food will taste good. The most important thing when starting out this diet is commitment.
