DASH diet: 9 tips to get started without (too much) effort
Basically, the DASH diet was designed to reduce high blood pressure but its slimming effects have now been validated. Advice from Dr Arnaud Cocaul, nutritionist doctor, to get started without too many constraints … and stick to it.

WHERE DOES THE DASH DIET COME FROM?
“The acronym DASH stands for Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension, which can be translated in French as a dietary approach to prevent arterial hypertension”, explains Gabrielle Sarrazin, dietician. It was designed in 1997 to reduce high blood pressure without the intake of hypotensive drugs. “DASH is a food program inspired by the diet of vegetarians, who have lower blood pressure compared to those who eat the traditional way.”

WHAT IS THE DASH DIET?
The DASH method combines qualitative principles (food choices) and quantitative principles (rationing of food portions) and offers menus resulting from the combination of these 2 principles.

The recommended foods are plants: fresh and dried fruits and vegetables, seeds and oilseeds, whole grain products and low fat dairy products.

The restricted foods are animal proteins, fats and sugary products. The recommended number of daily or weekly servings for each food category is calculated based on the desired goal. Indeed, if the DASH diet has a hypotensive effect, it can also be adapted for weight loss by reducing intake.

WHAT ARE THE EFFECTS OF THE DASH DIET?
“The first effect of the DASH method is that for which it was designed: the prevention of arterial hypertension in normal-tense people and the reduction of blood pressure in people with hypertension,” explains Gabrielle Sarrazin.

To prevent and reduce arterial hypertension, the creators of the DASH diet simply took care to enrich the diet with potassium, magnesium and fiber, trace elements with recognized hypotensive effects. And of course, it’s also about reducing sodium consumption, and therefore salt, the first nutritional recommendation for hypertensive people.

And given its richness in plants (fiber) and its low intake of fats and sugars, the DASH diet is as effective for weight loss as it is for lowering LDL-cholesterol (bad cholesterol) and therefore prevent cardiovascular disease. “The DASH program, which was the subject of other studies subsequently, has become a model of a healthy and balanced diet (” DASH eating plan “) advocated by various official American and Canadian organizations”, details the dietician .

WHAT ARE ITS STRONG POINTS?
The DASH program recommends consuming more fruits and vegetables, fresh and dried, as well as whole grain foods. These foods rich in fiber facilitate weight loss thanks to their low energy intake and their strong satiating power. Rich in antioxidants, they help prevent cardiovascular disease and certain cancers.

Rich in fiber and protein and low in sugars, this diet offers a diet with a low glycemic index, which allows a lower risk of fat storage, prevention of diabetes, regulation of intestinal transit and protection of the digestive tract. “By not eliminating any food category, DASH allows the maintenance of a relatively balanced diet in most nutrients”, says Gabrielle Sarrazin.

WHAT ARE HIS LIMITS ?
The DASH program is very close to the Mediterranean diet and promotes the consumption of fruits and vegetables, cereals, pulses, seeds and almonds and other nuts. As it provides more animal protein (dairy products, lean meats, poultry) and less polyunsaturated fat with only 2 to 3 teaspoons of oil or margarine per day, it is important to consume the seeds and oilseeds recommended because they are the major source of fatty acids.

In addition, as part of the DASH diet, the intake of omega3 essential fatty acids, essential for the body (constitution of cell membranes, proper functioning of the cardiovascular, cerebral, hormonal and inflammatory system) remain below the recommended intake. “We can regret that fatty fish such as mackerel, salmon, herring, sardines are not recommended”, underlines the dietician, because they are rich in omega 3.

HOW TO GET THERE EASILY?
The original version of this diet is very precise, and involves weighing food and counting calories:

For women who want to lose weight and reduce their blood pressure: 1600 kcal / day
For women who want