As with the Mediterranean diet, the Dash diet concentrates on replacing high protein, saturated and animal fats, and refined sugars with more simple fare.
The Dash diet suggests a maximum of two portions of meat, poultry or fish, and three portions of low-fat or non-fat dairy food per week.
The following menu plan has been sourced from the National Institutes of Health in the USA. Dash stands for "Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension".
Food | Amount | Servings provided |
Breakfast | ||
orange juice | 180 ml | 1 fruit |
1 percent low-fat milk | 200 ml | 1 dairy |
cornflakes (with 1 teaspoon of sugar) | 1 Cup | 2 grains |
banana | 1 medium | 1 fruit |
whole wheat bread (with one tablespoon jam) | 1 slice | 1 grain |
soft margarine | 1 teaspoon | 1 fat |
Lunch | ||
chicken salad | 3/4 Cup | 1 poultry |
pita bread | 1/2, large | 1 grain |
raw vegetable medley: carrot and celery sticks | 3- 4 sticks each | 1 vegetable |
radishes | 2 | |
loose-leaf lettuce | 2 leaves | |
part-skim mozzarella cheese | 1,5 slice (40 grams) | 1 dairy |
1 percent low fat milk | 200 ml | 1 dairy |
fruit cocktail in light syrup | 1/2 Cup | 1 fruit |
Dinner | ||
herbed baked cod | 90 grams | 1 fish |
scallion rice | 1 Cup | 2 grains |
steamed broccoli | 1/2 Cup | 1 vegetable |
stewed tomatoes | 1/2 Cup | 1 vegetable |
spinach salad: | ||
raw spinach | 1/2 Cup | |
cherry tomatoes | 2 | |
cucumber | 2 slices | |
light Italian salad dressing | 1 Tablespoon | 1/2 fat |
whole wheat dinner roll | 1 small | 1 grain |
soft margarine | 1 teaspoon | 1 fat |
melon balls | 1/2 Cup | 1 fruit |
Snacks | ||
dried apricots | 1/4 Cup | 1 fruit |
mini-pretzels | 3/4 Cup | 1 grain |
mixed nuts | 1/3 Cup | 1 nuts |
diet ginger ale | 340 ml | 0 |
(Information from the National Institutes of Health)
Read more:
Stress and hypertension
Hypertension in the elderly
Are you eating too much salt?