The DASH diet emerged in the 1990s as a dietary pattern created by the US Institutes of Health (NIH) to aid in the dietary management of hypertension. DASH stands for Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension, which in Spanish would be translated as Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension. It must be made clear that it is a style of eating, with scientific evidence to support it, and not a fad diet or miracle.
As Miguel Ángel Martínez-González, director of the Department of Preventive Medicine and Public Health, at the University of Navarra, explained to CuídatePlus, after the Mediterranean diet, the best scientifically valued diet is the DASH diet. “It is a tailored suit to prevent hypertension and control high blood pressure.” Martínez-González attributes its low use to the fact that the DASH diet is not well known. “If you really intervened with dietitians and a well-done method aimed at changing dietary behavior and adapting the DASH diet would save a lot of hypertension drugs and many of its adverse effects. You do not have to use drugs if there is a remedy with a lifestyle and diet, ”says Martínez-González.
What is the DASH diet?
According to María Ballesteros, from the Nutrition Area of the Spanish Society of Endocrinology and Nutrition (SEEN), an endocrinologist at the Complejo Asistencial Universitario de León, this dietary pattern seeks to reduce sodium in the diet below levels of 2.3 g in the DASH normal (equals 5.8 g of salt) and 1.5 g in low sodium DASH (equals 3.8 g of salt); and increase the content of potassium, calcium and magnesium, minerals that potentially improve hypertension. “The DASH diet emphasizes foods rich in calcium, potassium, magnesium, and fiber, which when combined, help lower blood pressure.”
DASH diet: What guidelines should be followed in eating?
The DASH diet proposes reducing the consumption of processed or precooked products, increasing the consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains and nuts, fish and low-fat meats, in addition to the consumption of a high content of skimmed milk. In addition, as explained by Martínez-González in his book What do you eat ?, it allows vegetable oils – olive, sunflower, soy or corn – but prohibits animal fats.
Therefore, the guidelines for eating the DASH diet should follow the following recommendations:
- Control the amount of salt for cooking using less than 3 g / day, which would be equivalent to one level teaspoon of coffee.
- Avoid ultra-processed, pre-cooked products, bagged snacks and sweets.
- Limit foods high in saturated fat, such as fatty meats, whole dairy, and coconut and palm oils.
- Use common seasonings to cook and give more flavor to meals (pepper, paprika, saffron, vinegar, lemon, garlic, onion …) and aromatic herbs (parsley, thyme, fennel, bay leaf, oregano …).
- Canned fish for salads or similar, preferably natural ones (0% salt), but in moderation.
- Avoid adding meat or fish bouillon cubes / tablets to meals.
- Avoid carbonated and stimulant drinks.
- Limit the consumption of sugary drinks, sweets, cookies and cakes to 5 units a week.
- Ensure the minimum intake of 3 fruits a day and ensure that they reach 4 or 5 (preferably whole pieces before natural juices) and 2-3 skimmed dairy products a day.
- Consume 4-5 small servings (30-45 grams) of vegetables each day, many of them in salads.
- 6 to 8 servings of whole grains – bread, pasta and brown rice – daily.
- 4-5 servings in total per week of nuts and legumes.
- Use culinary techniques that do not add too much fat: iron, roast, oven, microwave, steam, papillote. Avoid fried, breaded or battered.
- Drink 1.5 or 2 liters of water a day (8 glasses / day), infusions are also counted.
- Frequent fish consumption. Consumption of lean meats (preferably poultry). Consumption of red meat once a week at most.
- At lunch and dinner, add 30 g of bread, preferably whole wheat, without salt.
- Lunch and dinner desserts: 150 g piece of fruit.
