Eating style
DASH diet
An eating plan designed and tested for blood pressure: more vegetables, fruit and low-fat dairy, less salt. The servings, the trial results and lower-sodium recipes.
What it is
DASH stands for Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension. It was developed through research funded by the US National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute and tested in feeding trials. The plan is built on vegetables, fruit, whole grains and low-fat dairy, with fish, poultry, beans and nuts, and less red meat, sweets, sugary drinks and salt than a typical American diet.
For a 2,000 kcal day it sets out 6–8 servings of grains, 4–5 each of vegetables and fruit, 2–3 of low-fat dairy, no more than six 1 oz (28 g) servings of lean meat, poultry or fish, and 4–5 servings of nuts, seeds and beans a week. The trials aimed for 27% of calories from fat, 18% from protein and 55% from carbohydrate.
What the trials found
In the original 1997 trial, 459 adults ate one of three diets for eight weeks while salt intake and body weight were held steady. The DASH diet lowered blood pressure by 5.5/3.0 mmHg more than a typical diet, and by 11.4/5.5 mmHg in participants who had high blood pressure. A second trial found that cutting sodium on top of DASH lowered it further.
A 2020 meta-analysis of 30 trials with 5,545 participants put the average reduction at 3.2 mmHg systolic and 2.5 mmHg diastolic, and rated the evidence as moderate quality. These trials measured blood pressure readings over weeks or months. They were not designed to count heart attacks or strokes.
Following it here
Sodium is where most people need to look first. 2,300 mg is about one teaspoon of table salt, and most of what people eat comes from processed food rather than the salt shaker. Use the sodium filter on the recipe search, build meals around vegetables, beans and whole grains, and season with herbs, spices, citrus and vinegar.
Worth knowing
- If you take medication for blood pressure, do not stop or change it because you have changed your diet. Talk to your doctor.
- Salt substitutes that contain potassium can be harmful for people with some medical conditions. Ask your doctor before using them, and before starting DASH if you have kidney disease.
- The plan is high in fibre, which can cause bloating at first. Increase vegetables, fruit and whole grains gradually.
Common questions
Is DASH only for people with high blood pressure?
No. In the original trial blood pressure also fell in people without hypertension, by a smaller amount, and the plan is a balanced way of eating for most adults.
Do I have to eat dairy on DASH?
The tested plan includes 2–3 servings of low-fat dairy a day. Lactose-free milk is the closest swap. A version built on plant-based alternatives is not what the trials tested.
Sources
- National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NIH): DASH Eating Plan
- National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NIH): Your Guide to Lowering Your Blood Pressure with DASH (PDF)
- Filippou et al., Advances in Nutrition (2020): DASH diet and blood pressure, a meta-analysis of randomised trials
- Appel et al., New England Journal of Medicine (1997): the original DASH trial
General information, not medical or dietary advice. Speak to a doctor or registered dietitian about your own situation.
