Does This Popular Diet Reduce The Risk Of Hypertension And Depression?

The DASH diet that includes eating healthy foods with high nutritional value does not only lower blood pressure but also prevents osteoporosis, cancer, heart disease, stroke and diabetes, as per the Mayo Clinic.

According to the research, DASH diet could also reduce the risk of developing depression later in life. The popular diet, which is rich in vegetables, fruits, whole grains, fat-free or low-fat dairy products and few foods that are high in saturated fats and sugar may help in more than just reducing hypertension.

The DASH diet emphasizes vegetables, fruits and low-fat dairy products and moderate amounts of fish, whole grains, poultry and nuts. Moreover, this diet also has a lower standard version of the diet.

According to the standard DASH diet, you can consume up to 2,300 milligrams of sodium per day and on the other hand, according to the lower sodium DASH diet, you can consume up to 1,500 milligram of sodium a day. Both the diets aim to reduce the amount of sodium in your diet.
 

DASH Diet: What To Eat?

Both versions of the diet can include whole grains, fresh fruits and vegetables and low-fat dairy products. The DASH diet also includes legumes, poultry and fish and also encourages small amount of nuts and seeds a few time a week. Basically, a DASH diet is low in saturated fat, total fat and cholesterol.