The DASH diet (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) is designed to help treat or prevent high blood pressure by encouraging the reduction of sodium in your diet, and by eating a variety of foods rich in nutrients that can help lower blood pressure.
See the chart below for some examples and notes regarding the DASH diet from Pennington Biomedical Research Center, one of it’s creators.
|
Food Group |
Daily Serving |
Servings Sizes |
Examples and Notes |
Role |
|
Grains and Grain Products |
7-8 servings a day | 1 slice bread
1 oz dry cereal ½ cup cooked rice, pasta or cereal |
Whole-wheat bread, English muffin, pita bread, bagel, cereals, grits, oatmeal, crackers, unsalted pretzels and popcorn | Major sources of energy and fiber |
|
Vegetables |
4 servings a day | 1 cup raw leafy vegetable
½ cup cooked vegetable 6 oz vegetable juice |
Tomatoes, potatoes, carrots, green peas, squash, broccoli, turnip greens, collards, kale, spinach, artichokes, green beans, lima beans, sweet potatoes | Rich sources of potassium, magnesium and fiber |
|
Fruits |
4 servings a day | 6 oz fruit juice
1 medium fruit ¼ cup dried fruit ½ cup fresh, frozen or canned fruit |
Apricots, bananas, dates, grapes, oranges, orange juice, grapefruit, grapefruit juice, mangoes, melons, peaches, pineapples, prunes, raisins, strawberries, tangerines | Important sources of potassium, magnesium and fiber |
|
Low-fat or fat-free dairy foods |
2-3 servings a day | 8 oz milk
1 cup yogurt 1 ½ oz cheese |
Fat-free (skim) or low-fat (1%) milk, fat-free or low-fat buttermilk, fat-free or low-fat regular or frozen yogurt, low-fat and fat-free cheese | Major sources of calcium and protein |
|
Lean meats, poultry and fish |
2 or less a day | 3 oz cooked meats, poultry or fish | Select only lean; trim away visible fats; broil, roast or boil instead of frying; remove skin from poultry | Rich sources of protein and magnesium |
|
Nuts, seeds and dry beans |
2-3 servings per week | ½ cup or 1 ½ oz nuts
2 Tbsp or ½ oz seeds ½ cup cooked dry beans and peas |
Almonds, filberts, mixed nuts, peanuts, walnuts, sunflower seeds, kidney beans, lentils | Rich sources of energy, magnesium, potassium, protein and fiber |
|
Fats and Oils |
2-3 servings a day | 1 tsp soft margarine
1 Tbsp low-fat mayonnaise 2 Tbsp light salad dressing 1 tsp vegetable oil |
Soft margarine, low-fat mayonnaise, light salad dressing, vegetable oil such as olive, corn, canola or safflower | DASH has 27% of calories as fat, including fat in added foods |
|
Sweets |
5 servings or fewer per week | 1 Tbsp sugar
1 Tbsp jelly or jam ½ oz jelly beans 8 oz lemonade |
Maple syrup, sugar, jelly, jam, fruit-flavored gelatin, jelly beans, hard candy, fruit punch, sorbet, ices | Sweets should be low in fat |