The dietary approaches to stop hypertension (DASH) diet is a guide of how to eat rather than what to eat. Its diet plans emphasize more on the number of servings of specific foods rather than specifying what food to eat. The emphasis on what to eat and what to avoid is also clear, but they come more as suggestions and recommendations. The food selection should be healthy and the range offers a lot of flexibility.

The recommendation would say, “Go for whole grains preferably along with gluten-free and fresh fruits and vegetables.” Here’s more on the DASH diet:

1. Recommended foods

As per the DASH diet, the suggested quantities of foods are:

• Grains: 7 to 8 servings per day
• Vegetables: 4 to 5 daily servings
• Fruits: 4 to 5 daily servings
• Low-fat or fat-free dairy products: 2 to 3 daily servings per day
• Meat, fish, and poultry: 2 or fewer servings per day
• Fats: 2 to 3 daily servings
• Refined sugar: Try to limit products with a refined sugar to less than 5 servings per week

2. Suggested serving sizes

The required amount to make one serving in a meal are as follows:

• Rice or pasta: ½ cup (95 grams) cooked rice or pasta
• Dry, whole-grain cereal: 1 ounce or 28 grams
• Bread: 1 slice
• Raw vegetables: 1 cup of veggies are raw and ½ cup if cooked
• Milk or juice: 8 ounces
• Cooked meat: 3 ounces
• Fish and tofu: 3 ounces
• Oil: 1 teaspoon

3. Sample menus for a week of the DASH diet
Samples of a meal plan that can provide you about 2000 calories for a whole day include:

• Breakfast: 1 cup of whole-grain cereal mixed with 1 cup of skim milk, ½ cup of 75 grams blueberries, and ½ cup of fresh fruit juice.
• Mid-morning snack: 1 banana, apple, or orange
• Lunch: 2 slices of whole-wheat bread, 3 ounces of lean turkey or chicken, 1.5 ounces of low-fat cheese, and ½ cup of cherry tomatoes and low-fat dressing.
• Snack: 1 cup of fruit salad or 1 cup of low-fat yogurt, or mixed berries and ½ cup of almonds or 1 banana.
• Dinner: 3 ounces of pork steak and 1 cup of ratatouille with 1 cup of brown rice, ½ cup of lentils, and 1.5 ounces of low-fat dressing.
• Dessert: Have any low-fat dessert not more than thrice a week.

4. Foods to give up when on a DASH Diet
One is required to avoid certain foods when following a DASH diet, including:

• Coffee: Caffeinated drinks like coffee can increase the blood pressure in the short-term i.e; within one to three hours after consumption. This increase is higher in those with high blood pressure. But the risks are only short term and do not cause any major long term problems.
• Alcohol: One drink of hard liquor contains 14 grams of pure alcohol, 12 ounces of beer has 5% alcohol, 5 ounces of wine contains 12% alcohol, and 1.5 ounces of distilled spirits are made up of about 40% alcohol. More than 3 drinks per day can cause an increase in blood pressure and a risk to the heart. Abstaining from alcohol or drinking in moderation is what is recommended by the DASH diet plan. It should not exceed 1 to 2 drinks per day for men, and for women, it is 1 drink or less.
• Sugar and processed foods: Giving up on sugar, restrictions on eating of junk and processed food, abstinence of many of your favorite foods needs a strong will and acceptance that it is important for good health.