The DASH Diet Effect
This afternoon I spent 2 hours grinding raw wheat into flour, 2 hours writing my research paper, and now I am exhausted and ready to write a blog post!
It's time for us to continue our journey to understand the top fad diets in the United States! After my sarcastic tone in the post on the Whole 30, most of you will probably find my calm demeanor towards the DASH diet refreshing. Or rather boring and lack luster. I'll leave it to y'all to decide!
There are many reasons why I chose to discuss the DASH diet next:
1. I didn't want y'all to think I hate all fad diets with the intensity of 1,000 fiery burning suns.
2. I have actually been on this diet as an experiment this semester, so I have some experience with the diet itself.
3. There is a lot of scientific evidence to back this diet up, which I figured would be a nice break from what I discussed with the Whole 30.
So...without further ado, here we go!
The DASH diet stands for dietary approaches to stop hypertension. This diet focuses on lowering sodium, dietary cholesterol, and increasing fiber. The goal of this diet is to lower cholesterol and blood pressure. Unlike the Whole 30, which we discussed last time, the DASH diet is NOT an elimination diet, but more of a 'check the box' kind of diet--you need to meet the minimum requirements for a number of different food groups every day: grains, vegetables, fruits, dairy, lean meats, nuts, fats, and sweets (yes, you get DESSERT on this diet!!!). I thought I would go through each individual food group to explain the requirements in more detail:
Grains: You need at least 7 servings of whole grains every day on the DASH diet, and the serving sizes are about 1 ounce (i.e. 1 slice of bread, 1/4 cup of cooked grains). The reason for this is the amount of fiber that is found in whole grains. Fiber has the ability to bind to cholesterol and eliminate it from the body via defecation. Therefore, it literally lowers blood cholesterol by giving cholesterol a bus out of the body.
Vegetables: You need at least 5 servings of vegetables every day on the DASH diet, and the serving sizes are 1/2 cup of most vegetables (but 1 cup of leafy vegetables). Veggies are a fantastic source of potassium and magnesium, which help with blood pressure regulation and digestion. Vegetables are also high in fiber, just like grains.
Fruit: You need at least 5 servings of fruits every day on the DASH diet, and the serving sizes are 1/2 cup. Just like vegetables, fruits are high in potassium, magnesium, and fiber.
Dairy: You need 3 servings of dairy a day on the DASH diet, and it needs to be low-fat or fat-free (including cheese), and the serving size is 1 cup for milk/yogurt, and 1.5 ounces for cheese. The reason for the low/non-fat is the high amount of saturated fat inside of dairy. However, this requirement may change fairly soon, as studies are showing that the saturated fat inside of dairy is actually protective of many chronic diseases. But at the moment, the requirements are not changing until we have more research. Dairy is high in both calcium and protein, which are essential nutrients for body and bone health.
Meats: You need at MOST 6 servings of lean meat every day on the DASH diet. This is interesting because meat is 1 of 2 food groups that has a maximum, not a minimum, amount. The serving size of meat is considered to be 1 ounce for poultry and fish, or 1 egg (with a maximum of 4 yolks/week). Lean meat is low in saturated fat, which is the main reason why the diet requires lean meats like fish and poultry. Meats are great sources of protein, iron, and magnesium.
Nuts, Legumes, and Seeds: You need 5 servings per week of nuts, legumes, and seeds, and 1 serving is 1/3 cup if you eat the nuts in their unprocessed state. If you eat nut butters, however, the serving size is 2 Tablespoons. Nuts are good sources of calories (which will be important in a few paragraphs), magnesium, protein, and fiber.
Fats and Oils: You need 3 servings of healthy fat every day, and the serving size is 1 teaspoon (so...you get 1 Tablespoon of oil a day). This includes oils that are used in the preparation of foods (i.e. vegetables roasted with olive oil or whole wheat muffins prepared with margarine). This is to help the diet be a bit tastier and more manageable. Since fat makes food taste good...there is no reason not to eliminate it! It's just a matter of choosing poly and monounsaturated fats instead of saturated fats.
Sweets and Added Sugars: This is the second food group where the number of servings is a maximum and not a minimum. The serving size is 1 Tablespoon for sugar and jams, 1/2 cup for sorbet, and 1 cup for fruit juices. It is important that the sweets are low in fat, unless you are willing to sacrifice one of your fats/oils servings along with your sweets servings. It is recommended to have less than 5 servings of sugar/sweets per week, though some people recommended 1 per day. What I love about the DASH diet is that it recognizes that people are human. It recognizes that sugar is comforting and sometimes helps us get through the day.
So...those are all of the food groups! What I did while I was on this diet was make a table with every food group, and I added a dash (pun intended) next to the food group when I ate a serving of it. That way it was much easier to track.
When I put my meal plans into the nutrient analysis software, it was fairly easy to get all of the essential nutrients I needed. Except calories. Because fruits and vegetables are not only filling, but low in calorie, it is easy to feel full without eating enough calories. Therefore, I lost 5 pounds in 14 days. If weight loss is the goal, then this is the diet to try! It has consistently been proven to be the healthiest weight loss diet in the country, and not just for those suffering from hypertension or heart disease. If the desire is simply to increase whole grain and vegetable intake, you will have to watch your caloric intake closely to make sure that you are eating enough.
Other hard things about this diet is the fiber intake. For the first couple of days you should *ahem* plan to spend a lot of time on the toilet. But after the first couple of days your body adjusts, and all is well.
Due to the sheer amount of fruits and vegetables you eat on this diet, it is also rather expensive. I spent almost $100/week on food for one person, and most of it being vegetables. But it's important to keep in mind that I went above and beyond on the diet...I tried to follow it to perfection to see if I could do it, so I was eating more vegetables than the 5 servings they recommended per day (this was one reason I was having tummy troubles).
But overall, there is a lot of research to support this diet and its beneficial effects. And if anybody asked me which diet I would recommend for weight loss, it would be this diet. It ensures you get all of your nutrients, and allows for easier weight loss than a some other diets. The DASH is rated top in long-term compliance and adherence. So if weight loss is the goal, DASH is one way to achieve it!
Have a great week everybody, and best of luck with your New Year's health resolutions!
I am sorry to say that I forgot to put recipes at the end of the last couple of posts. But here is my favorite recipe of the week: homemade vanilla Greek yogurt!!! Super easy and CHEAP.
Ingredients:
-1/2 gallon 2% or whole milk
-1/3 cup sugar
-1 Tablespoon vanilla
-1/2 cup yogurt starter (any yogurt in the store that contains bacteria; I use a 5 oz vanilla Chobani container)
1. Cook the milk in a crockpot on low for 2 hours and 45 minutes.
2. After the 2 3/4 hours, turn it off and unplug it. Whisk in the vanilla and sugar. Let the crockpot sit for 3 hours.
3. Take out 1 cup of the milk mixture and whisk it together with the yogurt starter. Add this back into the crockpot and put the lid back on.
4. Wrap the crockpot in two beach towels so it is completely covered and let sit for 8-12 hours (I finish this step right before I go to bed, so it sits overnight).
5. When you wake up, you will have yogurt! This is just regular yogurt, and can be eaten as is. I prefer Greek yogurt. If you do as well, then follow the next steps.
6. Grab a colander and either cheese cloths or an old thin towel or rag (I am poor and use the rag option), and a mixing bowl. Place the colander in the mixing bowl, line the colander with your cheese cloth or rag, and ladle the yogurt from the crockpot into the lined colander. Let it sit in your fridge for 3-4 hours. All of the water from the milk will drip out, and you will have a yummy and creamy yogurt!!! I let it drain for about 4 hours, and about 4 cups of water had leached out.
It's time for us to continue our journey to understand the top fad diets in the United States! After my sarcastic tone in the post on the Whole 30, most of you will probably find my calm demeanor towards the DASH diet refreshing. Or rather boring and lack luster. I'll leave it to y'all to decide!
There are many reasons why I chose to discuss the DASH diet next:
1. I didn't want y'all to think I hate all fad diets with the intensity of 1,000 fiery burning suns.
2. I have actually been on this diet as an experiment this semester, so I have some experience with the diet itself.
3. There is a lot of scientific evidence to back this diet up, which I figured would be a nice break from what I discussed with the Whole 30.
So...without further ado, here we go!
The DASH diet stands for dietary approaches to stop hypertension. This diet focuses on lowering sodium, dietary cholesterol, and increasing fiber. The goal of this diet is to lower cholesterol and blood pressure. Unlike the Whole 30, which we discussed last time, the DASH diet is NOT an elimination diet, but more of a 'check the box' kind of diet--you need to meet the minimum requirements for a number of different food groups every day: grains, vegetables, fruits, dairy, lean meats, nuts, fats, and sweets (yes, you get DESSERT on this diet!!!). I thought I would go through each individual food group to explain the requirements in more detail:
Grains: You need at least 7 servings of whole grains every day on the DASH diet, and the serving sizes are about 1 ounce (i.e. 1 slice of bread, 1/4 cup of cooked grains). The reason for this is the amount of fiber that is found in whole grains. Fiber has the ability to bind to cholesterol and eliminate it from the body via defecation. Therefore, it literally lowers blood cholesterol by giving cholesterol a bus out of the body.
Vegetables: You need at least 5 servings of vegetables every day on the DASH diet, and the serving sizes are 1/2 cup of most vegetables (but 1 cup of leafy vegetables). Veggies are a fantastic source of potassium and magnesium, which help with blood pressure regulation and digestion. Vegetables are also high in fiber, just like grains.
Fruit: You need at least 5 servings of fruits every day on the DASH diet, and the serving sizes are 1/2 cup. Just like vegetables, fruits are high in potassium, magnesium, and fiber.
Dairy: You need 3 servings of dairy a day on the DASH diet, and it needs to be low-fat or fat-free (including cheese), and the serving size is 1 cup for milk/yogurt, and 1.5 ounces for cheese. The reason for the low/non-fat is the high amount of saturated fat inside of dairy. However, this requirement may change fairly soon, as studies are showing that the saturated fat inside of dairy is actually protective of many chronic diseases. But at the moment, the requirements are not changing until we have more research. Dairy is high in both calcium and protein, which are essential nutrients for body and bone health.
Meats: You need at MOST 6 servings of lean meat every day on the DASH diet. This is interesting because meat is 1 of 2 food groups that has a maximum, not a minimum, amount. The serving size of meat is considered to be 1 ounce for poultry and fish, or 1 egg (with a maximum of 4 yolks/week). Lean meat is low in saturated fat, which is the main reason why the diet requires lean meats like fish and poultry. Meats are great sources of protein, iron, and magnesium.
Nuts, Legumes, and Seeds: You need 5 servings per week of nuts, legumes, and seeds, and 1 serving is 1/3 cup if you eat the nuts in their unprocessed state. If you eat nut butters, however, the serving size is 2 Tablespoons. Nuts are good sources of calories (which will be important in a few paragraphs), magnesium, protein, and fiber.
Fats and Oils: You need 3 servings of healthy fat every day, and the serving size is 1 teaspoon (so...you get 1 Tablespoon of oil a day). This includes oils that are used in the preparation of foods (i.e. vegetables roasted with olive oil or whole wheat muffins prepared with margarine). This is to help the diet be a bit tastier and more manageable. Since fat makes food taste good...there is no reason not to eliminate it! It's just a matter of choosing poly and monounsaturated fats instead of saturated fats.
Sweets and Added Sugars: This is the second food group where the number of servings is a maximum and not a minimum. The serving size is 1 Tablespoon for sugar and jams, 1/2 cup for sorbet, and 1 cup for fruit juices. It is important that the sweets are low in fat, unless you are willing to sacrifice one of your fats/oils servings along with your sweets servings. It is recommended to have less than 5 servings of sugar/sweets per week, though some people recommended 1 per day. What I love about the DASH diet is that it recognizes that people are human. It recognizes that sugar is comforting and sometimes helps us get through the day.
So...those are all of the food groups! What I did while I was on this diet was make a table with every food group, and I added a dash (pun intended) next to the food group when I ate a serving of it. That way it was much easier to track.
When I put my meal plans into the nutrient analysis software, it was fairly easy to get all of the essential nutrients I needed. Except calories. Because fruits and vegetables are not only filling, but low in calorie, it is easy to feel full without eating enough calories. Therefore, I lost 5 pounds in 14 days. If weight loss is the goal, then this is the diet to try! It has consistently been proven to be the healthiest weight loss diet in the country, and not just for those suffering from hypertension or heart disease. If the desire is simply to increase whole grain and vegetable intake, you will have to watch your caloric intake closely to make sure that you are eating enough.
Other hard things about this diet is the fiber intake. For the first couple of days you should *ahem* plan to spend a lot of time on the toilet. But after the first couple of days your body adjusts, and all is well.
Due to the sheer amount of fruits and vegetables you eat on this diet, it is also rather expensive. I spent almost $100/week on food for one person, and most of it being vegetables. But it's important to keep in mind that I went above and beyond on the diet...I tried to follow it to perfection to see if I could do it, so I was eating more vegetables than the 5 servings they recommended per day (this was one reason I was having tummy troubles).
But overall, there is a lot of research to support this diet and its beneficial effects. And if anybody asked me which diet I would recommend for weight loss, it would be this diet. It ensures you get all of your nutrients, and allows for easier weight loss than a some other diets. The DASH is rated top in long-term compliance and adherence. So if weight loss is the goal, DASH is one way to achieve it!
Have a great week everybody, and best of luck with your New Year's health resolutions!
I am sorry to say that I forgot to put recipes at the end of the last couple of posts. But here is my favorite recipe of the week: homemade vanilla Greek yogurt!!! Super easy and CHEAP.
Ingredients:
-1/2 gallon 2% or whole milk
-1/3 cup sugar
-1 Tablespoon vanilla
-1/2 cup yogurt starter (any yogurt in the store that contains bacteria; I use a 5 oz vanilla Chobani container)
1. Cook the milk in a crockpot on low for 2 hours and 45 minutes.
2. After the 2 3/4 hours, turn it off and unplug it. Whisk in the vanilla and sugar. Let the crockpot sit for 3 hours.
3. Take out 1 cup of the milk mixture and whisk it together with the yogurt starter. Add this back into the crockpot and put the lid back on.
4. Wrap the crockpot in two beach towels so it is completely covered and let sit for 8-12 hours (I finish this step right before I go to bed, so it sits overnight).
5. When you wake up, you will have yogurt! This is just regular yogurt, and can be eaten as is. I prefer Greek yogurt. If you do as well, then follow the next steps.
6. Grab a colander and either cheese cloths or an old thin towel or rag (I am poor and use the rag option), and a mixing bowl. Place the colander in the mixing bowl, line the colander with your cheese cloth or rag, and ladle the yogurt from the crockpot into the lined colander. Let it sit in your fridge for 3-4 hours. All of the water from the milk will drip out, and you will have a yummy and creamy yogurt!!! I let it drain for about 4 hours, and about 4 cups of water had leached out.
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