The Dash Diet is primarily aimed at helping to reduce blood pressure, but it has also been used to balance weight or lose weight, as well as help control diabetes. The term Dash comes in the English term Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension, which means Methods to Fight Hypertension, and it focuses mainly on stimulating the consumption of vegetables and whole grains.
In order for the diet to also be used to lose weight, the dietary routine can be maintained, but it should be consumed less than usual to reduce the calories in the diet.
How it works
The Dash diet focuses not only on reducing salt to control hypertension, but focuses mainly on improving the quality of food consumed daily, which also helps control other problems such as obesity, high cholesterol and diabetes.
Pets Allowed
Foods that should be consumed in greater amounts are those rich in protein, fiber, potassium, magnesium, calcium and unsaturated fats, such as:
- Fruits ;
- Vegetables and greens ;
- Whole grains such as oats, whole wheat flour, brown rice and quinoa;
- Milk and dairy products ;
- Good fats: nuts, peanuts, walnuts, hazelnuts, olive oil;
- Lean meats: prefer fish, chicken and lean cuts of red meats.
In addition, practicing physical activity regularly also helps reduce blood pressure and control weight, aiding in overall health improvement.
Prohibited Foods
The foods that should be avoided from the Dash diet are:
- Sugar-rich sweets and foods, including industrialized products like stuffed biscuits, soft drinks, chocolate and ready-made cakes;
- Foods rich in white flour such as biscuits, pasta, and white bread;
- Foods high in saturated fat such as red meat high in fat, sausage, sausage, bacon;
- Alcoholic beverages .
In addition, reducing the consumption of salt and sodium-rich foods such as bouillon cubes, sausage, sausage, powdered soups and frozen ready-to-eat foods, increases the effectiveness of Dash diet in reducing blood pressure.
Diet Dash Menu
The following table provides an example of a 3-day Dash diet menu:
| Meal | Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 |
| Breakfast | 1 glass of skim milk with coffee without sugar + whole wheat bread with cheese minas frescal | 2 slices of papaya with chia and oats + 1 egg fried with cheese | 1 natural yogurt + 1 slice whole wheat bread with egg |
| Morning snack | 10 strawberries + 5 cashew nuts | 1 natural yogurt | 1 banana + 1 tablespoon of peanut butter |
| Lunch dinner | brown rice + braised cabbage + grilled fish fillet | ground duck meat + whole pasta with tomato sauce | mashed sweet potato + baked chicken fillet with grated cheese + raw salad |
| Afternoon snack | 1 natural yogurt + 2 tablespoons of granola | Coffee without sugar + whole-grain toast with ricotta cream | 1 glass of avocado vitamin + 1 teaspoon of chia |
In addition, it is important to remember to avoid the consumption of forbidden foods and to reduce the consumption of salt in food preparation.
How to Use the Dash Diet to Lose Weight
The Dash diet can also be used to lose weight by reducing the amount of food consumed so that the calories of the day are less than the calories needed for the body to maintain its weight.
In addition, other strategies like increasing physical activity, taking thermogenic teas and reducing carbohydrate consumption also help to lose weight, and can be included in the Dash diet to potentiate its effect on weight control. Here are the thermogenic foods that help you burn fat.
