The DASH diet, or "Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension," is a diet that was designed with the goal of drastically reducing adherents' dangerously-high blood pressure levels. Specifically, it focuses on cutting out excessive salt intake, as this can make hypertension worse and lead to kidney failure, strokes, blindness, and even heart disease. It can be altered slightly for weight loss goals or to control insulin dependence, but multiple studies have confirmed its effectiveness. Many adherents to the DASH diet have shown drastic improvement within only a few weeks of beginning. There are two versions of this diet: standard and low-sodium. On the standard version, a dieter is carefully restricted to eating only the daily recommended amount of sodium (salt), or about 2,300mg daily. The low-sodium version is much more restrictive and designed for those who are already on medications for hypertension and/or have developed a blood pressure-related disease. The low-sodium DASH diet restricts intake to 1,500mg daily. Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension by author Wendy Jarich is a detailed study and guide
The DASH diet, or "Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension," is a diet that was designed with the goal of drastically reducing adherents' dangerously-high blood pressure levels. Specifically, it focuses on cutting out excessive salt intake, as this can make hypertension worse and lead to kidney failure, strokes, blindness, and even heart disease. It can be altered slightly for weight loss goals or to control insulin dependence, but multiple studies have confirmed its effectiveness. Many adherents to the DASH diet have shown drastic improvement within only a few weeks of beginning. There are two versions of this diet: standard and low-sodium. On the standard version, a dieter is carefully restricted to eating only the daily recommended amount of sodium (salt), or about 2,300mg daily. The low-sodium version is much more restrictive and designed for those who are already on medications for hypertension and/or have developed a blood pressure-related disease. The low-sodium DASH diet restricts intake to 1,500mg daily. Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension by author Wendy Jarich is a detailed study and guide