"DASH" out for this diet!
Q: Is there a special diet that the U.S. government wants people to try?
A: The National Institute of Health (NIH) has developed a diet they call DASH, which stands for the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension. The DASH diet is an eating plan that is low in saturated fat, cholesterol, and total fat, and emphasizes fruits, vegetables and low fat dairy foods. It also includes whole grain products, fish, poultry, and nuts. It de-emphasizes red meat, sweets, and sugar-containing beverages. The DASH plan is high in magnesium, potassium, calcium, protein, and fiber.
Four years ago, a national study found that the DASH diet significantly lowered blood pressure, and lowered the level of the chemical homocysteine, a substance which has been related to heart disease risk. A new study of nearly 500 people on the DASH plan now finds that this same diet also lowers total cholesterol levels, including LDL, the "bad" cholesterol. Scientists at NIH issued a press release telling the public that the DASH diet is a good way to prevent or treat high blood pressure, and is a good way to help people with high cholesterol levels.
To encourage people to try the DASH plan, NIH has come up with a plan for how to get started on the diet, and a week's worth of menus from the eating plan, including dinners such as beef eye of round and vegetarian spaghetti, and lunches such as beef barbecue sandwich and turkey breast sandwich. The plan even includes a week's worth of recipes for such items as new potato salad and chicken and Spanish rice.
Q: I get confused when I read food labels like "salt free" or "low sodium" or "reduced fat." What do these mean?
A: There is a "label language" that you have to learn to understand these terms. For example: "sodium free" or "salt free" means less than 5 milligrams per serving. "Very low sodium" means 35 milligrams or less per serving. "Low sodium" means 140 mg or less, and a "low sodium meal" means 140 mg of sodium or less per 3 1/2 ounces. "Light in sodium" means 50% less sodium than the regular version. "Unsalted" or "no salt added" means that during the processing of the product, no salt is added.
If a product says "fat free," it means there is less than .5 grams of fat per serving. "Low saturated fat" means 1 gram of saturated fat or less per serving. "Low fat" means 3 grams or less per serving. "Reduced fat" means at least 25% less fat than the regular version. "Light in fat" means half the fat than the regular version.
For more information about the DASH diet and nutrition, click here or write for a fact sheet from NHLBI, Health Information Center, Box 30105, Bethesda, MD 20824-0105.