The DASH Diet: All Hype or Healthful?

With all of the trendy diets and food fads out there today, it can be difficult to decipher which ones are actually healthy.

The DASH Diet, in particular, has been promoted as a food plan with hypertension - one of the major risk factors for diabetes - in mind.

The acronym itself stands for "Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension." But how does this diet really add up compared to the hype?

The Diet

The diet avoids foods heavy in saturated fat and cholesterol, both of which are causes of high blood pressure. Participants of the diet are encouraged to avoid processed foods, sugary drinks, and red meat. These are the same foods that diabetics are recommended to avoid.

The meal plans mainly consist of fruits and vegetables. The milk products used in the recipes are fat-free or low-fat. The diet also incorporates the other healthy food groups, including whole grains, fish, poultry, beans, seeds and nuts.

Basics of the DASH Diet

For people on a diet of 2,000 calories per day, the DASH Diet recommends:

• 7-8 servings of grain/grain products
• 4-5 servings of fruit and vegetables each
• 2-3 servings of low or non-fat dairy products
• 2 or fewer servings of lean meats, fish, or poultry
• 4-5 servings of nuts, seeds, and legumes per week
• limited servings of fats and sweets

The plan itself will outline specific meal plans which will help you begin - and maintain - these healthy recommendations.

The Diet and Diabetes

It is important that participants of the DASH Diet are aware that it is not a diabetes-specific food plan. However, hypertension is an especially important risk factor for diabetes and can lead to complications if one already has diabetes.

The DASH Diet plan can be used as a complementary part of a diabetic diet to help prevent heart disease and stroke, two chronic diseases which can be a result of diabetes.

Even if diabetics do not decide to use the DASH Diet specifically, the fundamentals of the diet should be kept in mind. The diet also encourages exercise, which should be a regular component of the diabetic lifestyle.

For other healthy diet ideas, check out the Best Diets of 2013.

Sources: Live Strong, Dash Diet