The Dash Diet Made Easy: A Beginner's Guide to Improving Overall Health, Weight Loss, and Preventing High Blood Pressure, Cancer, Diabetes and Heart Conditions

Book Description

Hypertension is a growing public health concern worldwide. It is a chronic, persistent, and typically asymptomatic disease. Recent data shows that only 37% of the American population comprising hypertensives currently have their blood pressure under control (Elliot, 2007). Those who are identified as hypertensive often receive inadequate care and do not adhere to therapy, therefore being subject to uncontrolled blood pressure, which can lead to other chronic illnesses, like cardiovascular abnormalities, diabetes, and strokes.

Hypertension is often referred to as a silent killer. This is because it does not typically exhibit any symptoms until it has caused severe damage to the heart and arteries. When blood uses excessive force to push through the cardiovascular system, it can damage the walls of the arteries and the muscles of the heart. Damage to the arteries which supply the heart muscles with blood can eventually lead to heart attacks. Similarly, damage to arteries that supply the brain and kidneys with blood can lead to strokes and kidney disease, respectively.

One of the key ways to prevent the onset of hypertension and high blood pressure is to implement lifestyle changes. A lot of us fail to realize that obesity and consequent problems like hypertensive disorders do not stem from the amount we eat alone. There are other factors at play, including the composition of the food we eat, our genetics, our body types, and our metabolic capacities.

The DASH diet stands for Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension. It is a lifelong approach to healthy eating which aims at treating or preventing high blood pressure and hypertension. The diet encourages you to reduce the intake of sodium in your diet and to eat a variety of food items rich in nutrients that lower blood pressure, like potassium, calcium, and magnesium.

In this book, we will study the DASH diet in detail. We will read why you may be able to reduce your blood pressure when you follow this diet, sometimes in the span of only two weeks. We will understand the health benefits of the diet, why it will contribute to an overall wholesome lifestyle, and talk about sample meal plans to get you started. As we move along, I will give you some tips and tricks to start your journey and to hold on to it without getting bored or frustrated. I hope this book is the beginning of a new life for you, a life in which you have full control over your health and happiness.

The Dash Diet Made Easy

A Beginner’s Guide to Improving Overall Health, Weight Loss, and Preventing High Blood Pressure, Cancer, Diabetes, and Heart Conditions

Faren Garcia

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Please note the information contained within this document is for educational and entertainment purposes only. All effort has been executed to present accurate, up to date, reliable, complete information. No warranties of any kind are declared or implied. Readers acknowledge that the author is not engaged in the rendering of legal, financial, medical or professional advice. The content within this book has been derived from various sources. Please consult a licensed professional before attempting any techniques outlined in this book.

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Table of Contents

Book Description

Table of Contents

Introduction: Ashley Dashes to Success!

Before We Begin: Understanding Blood Pressure

Chapter 1: What Is the DASH Diet?

A Dangerous Affair: Salt

DASH to Prevent Hypertension!

Grains: 6–8 Servings per Day

Vegetables: 4–5 Servings per Day

Fruit: 4–5 Servings per Day

Dairy: 2–3 Servings per Day

Lean Meat, Poultry, and Fish: 6 One-Ounce Servings or Fewer per Day

Nuts, Seeds and Legumes: 4–5 Servings per Week

Fat and Oils: 2–3 Servings per Day

Sweets: 5 or Fewer Servings per Week

Alcohol and Caffeine on a DASH Diet

Should You Exercise?

Chapter 2: Benefits of the DASH Diet

The DASH Diet: Blood Pressure and Hypertension

The DASH Diet and Diabetes

DASH and Cardiovascular Health

DASH and Cancer Prevention

DASH Diet and Weight Loss

Chapter 3: Seven-Day Meal Plan

Day One

Breakfast: Chickpea Pancakes with Yogurt Dressing

Lunch: Chicken and Cauliflower Rice

Dinner: Barley Risotto

Dessert: Frozen Berries and Yogurt Mousse

Snack Options for Day One

Day Two

Breakfast: Overnight Oats and Apples with a Twist

Lunch: Vegetable Minestrone

Dinner: Baked Tuna with Ginger Quinoa

Dessert: Lemon and Passionfruit Pudding

Snack Options For Day Two

Day Three

Breakfast: Pop of Color Frittata

Lunch: Sweet Potato Lentil Bowl

Dinner: Tandoori Trout

Dessert: Chocolate Almond Cups

Snack Options for Day Three

Day Four

Breakfast: Turkey Cranberry Hash

Lunch: Quail in Fresh-Fig and Walnut Sauce

Dinner: Simple Salad

Dessert: Yogurt and Fruit Smoothie

Snack Options for Day Four

Day Five

Breakfast: Shakshuka

Lunch: Polenta with Ratatouille

Dinner: Five-Spice Chicken

Dessert: Rhubarb Cobbler

Snack Options for Day Five

Day Six

Breakfast: Egg Muffins with Sun-Dried Tomatoes

Lunch: Spring-Mushroom Galette

Dinner: Salmon Pan-Sheet Dinner

Dessert: Yogurt and Olive Oil Pistachio Cake

Snack Options for Day Six

Day Seven

Breakfast: Whole-Wheat Breakfast Wraps

Lunch: Lasagna Stuffed Zucchini Boats

Dinner: Walnut Lentil Bolognese

Dessert: Zucchini Bread Muffins

Snack Options for Day Seven

Chapter 4: Before We Get You Started

Tips and Tricks

Frequently Asked Questions

Chapter 5: Success Stories

Ingrid and the Wolves

Annie’s Run with DASH

Conclusion: Saying Goodbye

References

Introduction: Ashley Dashes to Success!

Ashley was a 9–5 corporate hustler when she decided her lifestyle needed a spin. On December 10, 2019, her weight had reached 210 pounds, which put her well within the risk of morbid obesity and all the associated health concerns. She heard of the DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) from a friend who had known remarkable success through the plan. She became interested particularly because her family had a history of hypertension, high blood pressure, and diabetes. At this point, Ashley was pre-diabetic and had high blood pressure. Her doctors were recommending insulin injections, which she was not looking forward to.

With the consultation of her doctors, Ashley decided to try lifestyle changes through the DASH diet for 6 months. If it didn’t work, she’d take the injections. She entered the plan with a positive attitude, knowing that she had nothing to lose and everything to gain. She began her program in January 2020. On the program, she exercised for 50–60 minutes, three days a week. On other days, she took up power-walking and going cycling with her partner. Ashley maintains that it took effort from her side. She says, "I think the most important thing the DASH diet taught me was to rely on myself, rather than pills and fad programs for change. It was tough, but it made me realize how tough I am too."

Ashley had always been fond of fruits and vegetables, so incorporating them into her diet was not difficult. However, she did have trouble leaving junk food behind. The DASH diet focuses on low sodium consumption. If there is anything junk food is notorious for, it is the excessive amounts of salt it contains. So, Ashley had to lay off the chips and dip, the fried chicken, and the pizza. She took the program as a way to detox and slowly came to realize that her body functioned much better when she wasn’t constantly stuffing herself with sodium-laden processed food.

Ashley remembered to be gentle with herself and allow occasional cheat days. What was important was not being led astray by them and returning to her program the next day. With time, the diet became her everyday life, which she supplemented with an ice cream here and a bar of chocolate there. She found that she was also able to enjoy her food when she began eating mindfully. When she looked back at her past, it felt as if it was a haze of eating for the sake of relieving stress or boredom. She had never appreciated food.

Her hard work paid off. Five months into the diet and exercise plan, she lost 48 pounds. She was no longer pre-diabetic, and her