Most Popular DASH Diet Friendly Foods Your Body Will Love

The DASH diet is a healthy diet high in fruits, vegetables, grains and nuts with small portions of low-fat dairy and lean meats. Actually, the DASH diet is all about eating fresh and healthy foods to keep blood pressure in control and your heart healthy.

In other words, the DASH diet is a health improvement diet based on reasonable servings of protein, fruits, vegetables and low-fat dairy foods. Here DASH is the abbreviation for Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension. The primary goal of the diet is to decrease your blood pressure level slowly and in a healthy way without any adverse effects.

To get enhanced results, you may try DASH diet along with regular exercises, meditation to manage your stress level, and good sleep at night. Whatever you do, we strongly recommend you to always take advice from your doctor, nutritionist or a good professional fitness coach before trying anything new yourself for healthy means.

DASH diet highlights about less sodium (or salt), low fat or low sugar content foods. In this blog post, we have listed below only some popular foods which you may consider adding to your DASH diet plan.

Nutritious and Delicious DASH Diet Food List

Here is a list of healthy, easy foods to enjoy on the DASH diet. You may try to add them in your plan while you are following DASH for your health benefits. Also, this list gives you a good idea of what to aim for when shopping for your weekly groceries if you’re trying to stick to the DASH diet.

Popular DASH Diet Fruits

The Dash Diet has many different fruits available for you to enjoy. Fruits are a really important part of a healthy diet as they’re loaded with vitamins, and minerals.

Fruits are just another way to add extra nutrients and fiber to your diet, so if you’re not eating it on a daily basis, now’s the time to start! The fruit list below includes some of the most popular and delicious ones.

• Apple

  Apples are good to have if you’re on the DASH diet; they have low carbs and tons of dietary fiber. Apple fruits are a good source of vitamin C and the antioxidants present in them may also help to boost the functionality of your immune system.

• Banana

  Bananas are an excellent source of vitamin B6 and contain potassium, which helps promote heart health by lowering blood pressure and reducing strokes. They also contain tryptophan, which helps produce serotonin in the brain that may help boost moods and relieve stress.

• Orange

  Oranges are an excellent source of vitamin C which helps prevent scurvy and maintain strong bones, as well as folic acid which may reduce heart disease.

• Grapes

  Grapes are packed with vitamins and minerals like vitamin C and potassium, which shall help keep your body strong and healthy. Grapes contain antioxidants, and also have a lot of fiber.

• Strawberries

  These sweet little fruits pack a wallop in the taste department while they may help make your heart strong at the same time. They’re a great source of manganese, potassium, vitamin C, fiber and antioxidants.

Top DASH Diet Vegetables

As you begin your health journey, turn to the following list of vegetables you can try while on the DASH diet. They’re low in fat, high in nutrition, and add lots of flavor to any meal.

• Broccoli

  Broccoli may lower blood pressure and help you see finer details. It may help manage your diabetes. Vitamin C rich Broccoli may also reduce risk of inflammatory diseases.

• Carrot

  Each time you eat or drink a carrot, you’ll get one serving of beta-carotene and vitamin A, along with some potassium, vitamin C, and fiber.

• Spinach

  Spinach is a fair source of dietary iron, fiber and calcium – all those stuff you may need to get your body in tip-top condition so it may lower your blood pressure!

• Squash

  Squash is an excellent food for the DASH diet. It’s rich in minerals like potassium, magnesium, phosphorus, riboflavin, etc. It’s full of vitamins like A, B6, and vita C.

• Tomato

  Tomato is a good source of antioxidant called lycopene which may help to reduce risks of heart diseases. Tomato also contains different vitamins and minerals. It may also help to maintain your blood pressure level.

Healthy DASH Diet Grains

Having grains in your food plan is good for health because they’re high in fiber and nutrients. We’ve listed about few grains which can be a part of your DASH diet plan.

• Brown Rice

  In case you’re wondering why you haven’t dropped a dress size, it might be because you haven’t been eating brown rice in the DASH diet. It’s a rich source of carbohydrates, magnesium, and dietary fiber.

• Oatmeal

  Oatmeal is a good source of fiber, which helps keep you feeling full until your next meal. It also has a low glycemic index—an indicator of how fast carbohydrates are converted into sugar in your body – so it may keep your blood sugar from spiking and having you reaching for more food.

• Quinoa

  It’s a superfood, and offers a wide variety of nutrients, including vitamins and minerals. It’s also rich in dietary fiber. Quinoa may help in normalizing blood pressure level and cholesterol.

• Whole Wheat Bread

  Whole wheat bread is dense in nutrients. It also contains protein, and dietary fiber. It may help your body to control cholesterol and blood pressure levels.

• Whole Grain Cereal

  Whole grain cereal is a great way to start the day with because it has whole grains and fiber, which may help keep your blood sugar stable throughout the morning. In addition, it may help you manage your weight because they are full of complex carbohydrates. It also contains essential nutrients. Having whole grain cereals in your daily diet may make you feel healthier.

DASH Diet Nuts, Beans and Seeds

Adding nuts, beans, and seeds in diet plans are some of the best ways to get a healthy dose of nutrients on the DASH diet. The following nuts, beans and seeds in DASH diet plan shall help you avoid boredom while following the strict regimen of the original program.

• Almonds

  Almonds are high in protein, fiber, vitamin E, calcium, and heart-healthy fats that may help lower cholesterol. Almonds can be a great source of magnesium (which may help relax blood vessels and protect against high blood pressure) if you eat them in their whole form.

• Walnuts

  Walnuts are high in polyunsaturated fatty acids and lower in both monounsaturated and saturated fat. Walnuts may help lower blood pressure and cholesterol. It also has other health benefits that may help people with diabetes, heart problems, and high blood pressure.

• Peanuts

  Peanuts are good source of macro-nutrients, healthy fats, essential minerals and vitamins. Eating peanuts may help in keeping your heart healthy, maintaining weight, and controlling blood sugar levels in your body.

• Kidney Beans

  Kidney beans are one of the most popular foods in the DASH diet. They are a good source of vitamins, minerals, protein, dietary fiber and healthy carbs. Kidney beans are sometimes said to control cholesterol and blood sugar levels.

• Sunflower Seeds

  Sunflower seeds are packed with calcium and fiber, which help you feel full longer and keep your digestive tract running smoothly. They’re also the perfect crunchy treat when you need a little something to munch on while you’re trying to lose weight. Sunflower seeds are an excellent source of vitamin B1 (thiamine), E, and a very good source of selenium and magnesium. It may also help to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease.

DASH Diet Lean Protein

Lean protein helps with weight loss by reducing appetite. It may also help in controlling cholesterol and blood pressure level. When you are on the DASH diet, it’s necessary to pay attention in your protein intake. Here are some great sources of lean protein that fit into a DASH meal plan.

• Egg

  Did you know eggs are a superfood? In fact, they’re the only food that has a superfood within itself! Yup, the yolk is packed with nutrients and is an incredible part of the DASH diet plan. Eggs are an inexpensive source of protein that can add variety to your food choices while helping you stick to the plan.

• Fish

  Eating fish may help to lower blood pressure because it contains high amounts of protein and omega-3 fatty acids, which may help to prevent the build-up of plaque in arteries. Omega-3 fatty acids may also help to promote blood flow throughout the body by preventing platelets from clumping together. Choose fish which are high in omega-3, vitamins and minerals. Fishes like Salmon, Halibut, Swordfish, and Sardines goes well with this diet.

• Chicken

  Fat trimmed off chicken is good to have. Skinless chicken are a great food to use when you’re on the DASH diet, because it’s low in fat but also high in protein. It also has low sodium so it won’t make your blood pressure rise. There are so many reasons to love skinless chicken. It’s healthy, and delicious—and you can get creative with it!

• Turkey

  The DASH diet emphasizes replacing high-calorie foods with low-calorie options like white skinless turkey. The white skinless turkey is a perfect solution because it is low in salt and low in fat. It’s loaded with vitamins and minerals that support your body in energy production.

DASH Diet Low Fat / Fat-Free Dairy

The DASH diet encourages you to eat low fat or fat free dairy products. This can help you feel full longer—and it may cut back on the number of calories you consume in a day. You may replace full-fat dairy products with these low-fat or fat-free dairy products.

• Skimmed Milk

  Skimmed milk is made from whole milk that has had all or most of the fat removed. Removing the fat decreases calories in skimmed milk but keeps much of the same nutrient content as regular milk. Skimmed milk contains calcium, vitamin A and vitamin D, as well as protein and carbohydrates.

• Yogurt

  Yogurt is a staple of the DASH diet. It’s a good source of vitamin D, protein and calcium, and it also contains live bacterial cultures that may help aid digestion. Yogurt should be consumed in moderation.

• Soft Cheese

  Soft cheeses like feta, cottage cheese, and ricotta are a terrific addition to your DASH diet. You can use them in dips, on sandwiches, with pasta—the possibilities are endless. Soft cheeses are a good source of protein, calcium, and phosphorus.

Remember that low-fat foods are still often high in sodium, so be sure to check the sodium content on the label before you purchase any low fat foods.

To sum up, the DASH diet focuses on fresh foods: Fruits and vegetables give you the vitamins and minerals that may keep your body healthy. Low-fat dairy products are great sources of calcium and protein. And whole grains shall help keep you feeling full longer.

Now, as you have got the list of food that you may include in your DASH eating plan, so start searching for healthy recipes across the web to prepare your daily diet.

To conclude, The DASH diet may be recommended for anyone trying to lose weight or maintain their weight loss, keep their blood pressure in control, keep their heart healthy, because it emphasizes fresh fruits and vegetables (including whole grains), low-fat dairy products, lean sources of protein, nuts, legumes (including soy products), fish, poultry (including skinless), eggs, beans, seeds/nuts oils low in saturated fats such as canola oil or olive oil.

The goal is to get onto a healthy path toward eating real food instead of processed foods that contain preservatives and food additives.

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Have you been benefitted from the DASH diet? Write in comment about your DASH diet plan and experience.