US News & World Reports ranked #1 American diet, 2011

Why did the DASH diet receive the #1 ranking from the expert panel in US New & World Reports? Because it is a healthy, balanced plan, that has been proven to improve health. It helps to lower blood pressure and cholesterol, and is associated with lower risk of several types of cancer, heart disease, stroke, heart failure, kidney stones, and reduced risk of developing diabetes. It is not surprised Dash Diet is also “hot” by anti-aging and healthy aging advocates.

The DASH diet eating plan has been proven to lower blood pressure in studies sponsored by the National Institutes of Health (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension). It is a low salt (or low sodium) plan rich in fruits and vegetables, and low-fat or non-fat dairy, with whole grains. It is a high fiber, low to moderate fat diet, and is rich in potassium, calcium, and magnesium. The full DASH diet plan is shown below. The DASH diet is a healthy plan, designed for the whole family. New research continues to show additional health benefits of the plan.

Even though most people know that this seems like a very healthy way of eating, they initially may find it hard to implement and sustain. The book, The DASH Diet Action Plan, provides real life solutions to make it easy for people to follow the DASH diet. It has 28 days of meal plans (with adjustments for various calorie levels), recipes, guidance for weight loss, how to eat at restaurants, fast food places, etc. and still stay on track. It shows you how to stock up your kitchen for the DASH diet, and how to read food labels to make good choices. And, of course, the meal plans and recipes are all low sodium/low salt. The book shows you how to add exercise and other lifestyle changes to help lower blood pressure. This book helps you design your own personal “DASH Diet Action Plan.”

The DASH diet truly is the diet for everyone.

Here is the Top 10 Dash Diet Tips By DashDiet.org

1. Use grocery store salad bars for lots of cut up fresh vegetables.
2. Frozen vegetables make it easy to add 2 or more servings of veggies to your meal.
3. Double up on veggies. A serving is 1/2 cup, so a full cup makes 2 servings.
4. Berry-licious is having fresh berries on your cereal.
5. Nonfat fruit yogurt, artificially sweetened, makes a wonderful snack or quick breakfast.
6. All nuts are heart healthy. Making yours salt-free boosts their DASH benefits.
7. Some convenience foods make your DASH diet great. Look for bagged ready-to-eat cut up veggies, like baby carrots, broccoli sprigs, lettuce, cabbage slaw, broccoli slaw, cauliflower tops, etc.
8. Make your plate colorful. Add 1 – 2 cooked vegetables and a side salad with more than just greens.
9. Make your coffee a latte with 8 ounces of skim milk.
10. Smoothies made with skim milk, fresh fruit, and no added sugar make a fast way to maximize the DASH potential of your diet.