February 2, 2014

DASH Diet

DASH DietDASH Diet: A Diet for Peace of Mind

When I say the word “Diet”, what is the first thing that comes to your mind? Probably some rock hard abs and slim figures with beautiful curves, right? But this diet is something very different from the normal ones and it is called a DASH diet. So what exactly is DASH diet?

The word DASH means Diet Approaches to Stop Hypertension. It is promoted by the National Institute of Health, which is a United States government organization. Now, it is self-explanatory that the DASH diet’s main priority is to control hypertension. A good mind leads to a good body. Currently, around 50 million people are affected by hypertension in the United States and approximately one billion worldwide.

The relationship between blood pressure and cardiovascular disease events remain consistent. Hence, there are greater chances of events like heart attack, heart failure, heart stroke, and other kidney diseases. Dieting and maintaining fitness may only boost our muscular strength, but it cannot lower the risk of such events. If a person is suffering from hypertension, his body will not react much to his fitness regime, so it is very important for us to take care of both muscular and intellectual organs.

Features of the DASH Diet

  1. Limiting intake of sodium, and consumption of nuts, wholegrains, fish, poultry, fruits and vegetables.
  2. DASH Diet also encourages lowering the consumption of red meats, sweets and sugar.
  3. DASH diet food is rich in potassium, magnesium, calcium, protein and fiber.
  4. The diet aims to reduce the systolic and diastolic blood pressure in patients, while simultaneously providing them with a daily caloric intake of 1699 to 3100 dietary calories.

Since DASH diet features a high quotient of anti-oxidant rich foods, it can help to prevent chronic health problems like cancer, heart diseases and stroke.

Viqi
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