What The DASH Diet Is And Why Doctors Call It One Of The Best Diets For Our Health

Wouldn’t we all love to have a magic diet that would work like a miracle and transform our bodies into the shape and weight that we’d like it to be? Sadly, there are way too many fad diets doing the rounds, many of which are actually harmful to the body. Some of the damage may even be permanent and may have long-lasting effects on your body. But how does one decide which is a good diet that actually works and doesn’t harm us in the long-term?

One of the ways of doing this is by making sure the diet that you are planning to follow has some kind of medical backing and is proven to not have a negative impact on your body. One such diet is the DASH diet! The name, DASH, has nothing to do with the literal meaning of the word dash. In fact, it doesn’t mean anything like that at all. It is an abbreviation which stands for “Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension.”

Exactly what it sounds like, this diet was developed specially forsmall meal people suffering from blood pressure, also known as hypertension (1). But as the patients started following this diet, it was discovered that it not just helped with hypertension but a host of other things as well, like cholesterol, heart issues, weight control, and even prevention of stroke.

So, what is this mysterious yet so effective DASH diet? We did a bit of investigating ourselves and this is what we found out!

Unlike other fad diets, this diet actually required people to follow it throughout their lives – since hypertension is a lifelong issue which needs to be addressed. So, what this essentially means is that rather than doing it for a few months and then bouncing back to what you were doing before (which means also returning to your original weight), this diet helps you to make a complete lifestyle change – a change that will consciously push you towards healthier choices.

One good thing about this diet is that you don’t have to keep calculating the calories that you are putting in your body with each meal. It’s all about maintaining the balance between the nutrients.

Here’s a more detailed look at this diet!

1. Fluid Intake

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For this diet to work properly, you must drink at least 2 liters of water per day. Hydration is very important as this also eliminates water retention in your body, which is the culprit for the rising numbers on the weighing scale in most cases (2).

2. Number Of Meals And Snacks

As self-contradictory as it may sound, increasing the number of meals actually helps in weight loss because that keeps your metabolism up and running, and on its toes! Instead of three big meals, go for five small meals. You can also snack in between these five meals, but try and restrict it to snacking no more than 8 times, and just a bite if you’re really hungry. You’ll see the difference in a matter of weeks.

3. Number Of Calories

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As long as you keep the number of calorie intake below 2500 kcal, you should be fine.

4. Sweets And Desserts

Restrict this to no more than 5 times a week. Which is not too bad really – it means that you can have dessert every day of the week, as long as you keep it to just one per day!

5. Food Groups

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Try and stick to fresh leafy greens, beans, seeds and cereals, and if you’re a meat eater, then try and stick to lean meats only.

6. No Smoking Or Drinking

The bad effects of alcohol and tobacco on our health doesn’t need any further introduction. For this diet to take effect, these vices are best avoided.

7. Reduce Salt Intake

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Salt leads to dehydration and brings about water retention in the body, which, in turn, makes you feel bloated and heavy. Restricting this to just 2-3 tablespoons per day is the best way to lose all the excess water and weight.

8. Whole Wheat Bread

Always make sure that you eat only whole wheat bread as this is the only bread that doesn’t contain extra sugar and gives you the necessary carbohydrates (without going over the top).

10. Stay Away From These!

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Canned fish, processed meats (like sausages and pickled meats), foods rich in trans fats, and even pickles and pastries.

While this might look and sound easy, we all know that it isn’t always so easy to follow a diet and lose weight. What we must always remember is that a diet works best when accompanied by some kind of physical activity. It is quite simple – the calories that you are burning must be more than the calories that you are consuming. However, we feel this diet is better than the others simply because more than being a fad, it pushes you towards changing your lifestyle and food choices for the long-term.

Do you think this is a doable diet? Let us know in the comments below!

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