The DASH diet calls for an increased intake of potassium, magnesium, and calcium. These nutrients were shown to effectively protect the heart and arteries from the damage caused by plaque. Potassium is the most powerful nutrient for the heart. It is best to get these nutrients through food rather than supplements. Vegetables that contain potassium include white potatoes (1 medium potato has 926mg of potassium), sweet potato, spinach, tomato, and zucchini. Fruits that contain potassium are bananas, apricots, oranges, cantaloupe, and apples. Lentils, kidney beans and almonds also have ample amounts of potassium. Magnesium and calcium are not as well known as potassium for their protective benefits to the cardiovascular system but they are no less important. Magnesium can be found in a wide variety of foods including fruits, vegetables and whole grains so it is not difficult to get when following the DASH diet. Calcium is another important nutrient for heart health. Calcium rich foods are all low fat dairy products such as milk and yogurt, low fat natural cheese, and some vegetables (broccoli).
Reducing sodium is the hallmark of this diet approach. The recommended sodium intake ranges from 1500mg-2300mg for the entire day. Most people easily get double this amount. The best reduction in high blood pressure was seen at the 1500mg sodium intake level. Most of the sodium a person consumes is from processed foods and you can easily reduce your sodium intake by avoiding these foods. Some examples of high sodium processed foods are regular frozen dinners, processed cheeses, regular ham, canned vegetables in sauce, and canned beans. Rinsing canned beans before using them can reduce the sodium by 40 percent. Pasta cooked without salt, unsalted frozen vegetables, and unsalted frozen fruit are good low salt alternatives. Always check the nutrition fact label for the sodium content and choose foods that state they have no salt added or have 300mg of sodium or less.
Changing eating habits is a process. Start out slowly by changing only 1 or two habits at a time. Breaking down these changes into simple steps can help. For example, make a goal of changing from high fat yogurt to fat free yogurt, or switch from white bread to whole grain bread. Once you feel comfortable with these changes, add a piece of fruit -- such as a banana or an orange -- with lunch. Eventually, try cooking one or two meatless meals a week.
For more information, visit http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/public/heart/hbp/dash/new_dash.pdf.
