The DASH diet has been named the best overall diet program by the U.S. News and World Report after their first assessment of familiar and popular diet programs and approaches Tuesday morning.
The diet is supported by The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, The American Heart Association, US Guidelines to treat high blood pressure, USDA MyPyramid and The 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans.
In studies conducted by the National Institutes of Health, the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension, or DASH diet, has been proven to lower blood pressure in only fourteen days. Along with being a low-salt diet, the DASH diet also has other benefits for the body.
The diet has a basis of eating a lot of fruits and vegetables, which Americans can never seem to get enough of in their diets. It also includes non-fat dairy products and whole grains. It is low in fat, rich in calcium, potassium and magnesium and very high in fiber.
“The DASH Diet Action Plan” is a book that helps the dieters stay on track with their meal plan. It has recipes, tips how to eat at fast food places and restaurants, and guidelines for how to purchase groceries according to the diet plan.
For lower blood pressure, the best results came from people that only had prehypertension. For people with severe hypertension, this plan helps their medications work better to lower blood pressure levels. This diet can also help lower cholesterol, risk of stroke, heart disease, and kidney stones.
