DASH Diet : Keep your heart safe

Diet for a healthy heart

The cardiovascular disease is condition in which include build-up of fats and narrowing of arteries that results in Coronary Artery Disease, Heart failure, Heart attack. 
As per CDC (Centre for disease control and prevention) one person in 20 older adults is at risk of coronary artery disease i.e. 5 %. The prevalence of hypertension as per the National family heath survey series (Feb, 2023) 4.21% of females and 24% of males aged over 15 years had hypertension. 
High intake of salt (Sodium Chloride) is associated with high blood pressure.

Dietary management

• Dietary management includes implementation of DASH diet, which stands for Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension.
• The DASH diet is a healthy-eating plan designed to help prevent or treat high blood pressure or hypertension. It also improves lipid profile by lowering low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol. Further, there is evidence to show that the DASH diet also lowers the risk of adverse cardiac events, stroke, type 2 diabetes, and obesity. Unfortunately, compliance with the diet remains low. 
• High blood pressure and high LDL cholesterol levels are two major risk factors for heart disease and stroke.
• Foods in the DASH diet are low in fats, simple sugars, ultra processed/ processed foods and are rich in the minerals potassium, calcium and magnesium. The DASH diet focuses on vegetables, fruits and whole grains. It also includes fat-free or low-fat dairy products, fish, poultry, beans and nuts.

DASH diet and sodium
The standard DASH diet limits salt to 2,300 mg a day. That amount agrees with the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. That's about the amount of sodium in 1 teaspoon of table salt. A lower sodium version of DASH restricts sodium to 1,500 mg a day. You can choose the version of the diet that meets your health needs. The diet limits foods that are high in salt, also called sodium. It also limits added sugar and saturated fat, such as in fatty meats and full-fat dairy products.

The recommended servings from each food group-a-day DASH diet (Further customization recommended as per parameters):

• Grains or Cereals and pulses: (6 to 8 servings a day) one serving may be 1cup of cooked cereal, rice, 1 chapati or bhakri or dry cereal.
• Vegetables: 4 to 5 servings a day. One serving is 1 cup raw leafy green vegetable, cup cut-up raw or cooked vegetables, or 1 cup vegetable juice/ soup.
• Fruits: 4 to 5 servings a day. One serving is one medium fruit.
• Fat-free or low-fat dairy products: 2 to 3 servings a day. One serving is 1 cup milk or yogurt.
• Lean meats, poultry and fish: six 1-ounce (30g) servings or fewer a day. One serving is 1 ounce of cooked meat, poultry or fish, or 1 egg.
•  Nuts, seeds, or dry beans and peas: 4 to 5 servings a week. One serving is 1/3 cup nuts, 2 tablespoons seeds, or 1/2 cup cooked dried beans or peas, also called legumes.
• Fats and oils: 2 to 3 servings a day. One serving is 1 tsp vegetable oil.
• Sweets and added sugars: 5 servings or fewer a week. One serving is 1 tsp sugar.

Ways to further reduce salt intake:

• Avoid packaged foods and bakery items.
• Read food labels.
• Use salt-free spices or flavourings instead of salt.
• Don't add salt when cooking rice or cereal.
• Choose plain fresh or frozen vegetables.
• Choose fresh skinless poultry, fish and lean cuts of meat.
• Eat home food as far as possible. When eating out, ask for dishes with less salt and ask not to have salt added to your order.
• Restrict the intake of high sodium containing foods such as ketchups, sauces, pickle, papad, chips, salted nuts and biscuits, cheese and salted butter, readymade soup packets/cubes etc.

Note: These are general guidelines however customized diet chart from a qualified Dietician is recommended for Medical Nutritional Therapy to address the underlying clinical condition. 

We at P. D. Hinduja Hospital in Mumbai have one of the top Clinical Nutrition Department, where our dietitians like Ms. Sweedal Trinidade - Chief Dietician, can guide you with a customised consultation. To book an appointment, please contact the hospital at the following phone numbers: 022 6766 8181 or 022 4510 8181.