DASH stands for dietary approaches to stop hypertension and was developed in the early 1990s when the National Institutes of Health was researching ways to lower blood pressure.
Since then, studies have found that the DASH diet can help lower blood pressure and prevent heart disease in people over time.
Here's what you need to know about the DASH diet.
How to follow the DASH diet
The DASH diet focuses on nutrient-rich foods that are low in sodium, like many fruits and vegetables.
"For too long we focused just on cutting down on sodium," said Lisa Sasson, a registered dietitian and clinical professor of nutrition and food studies at New York University. "We now know that including more of the other minerals that are in plant-based foods is very helpful and beneficial."
The NIH offers a helpful guide for following the DASH eating plan, with recommended serving sizes based on your daily calories and examples of the best foods to eat. It mainly recommends:
• Fruits
• Vegetables
• Whole grains
• Fat-free or low-fat dairy
• Lean meats
• Nuts, seeds, and legumes
• Limited sweets, fats, and oils
So if you're following a diet of 2,000 daily calories, a day on DASH might look like this:
• Breakfast: Three-quarters of a cup of bran-flakes cereal, with one medium banana and one cup of low-fat milk, paired with a slice of whole-wheat bread and, if you like, one teaspoon of margarine. Wash it all down with a cup of orange juice.
• Snack: One-third of a cup of unsalted almonds.
• Lunch: Three-quarters of a cup of chicken salad, with two slices of whole-wheat bread and a tablespoon of Dijon mustard.
• Snack: A quarter cup of raisins.
• Dinner: Three ounces of roast beef topped with two tablespoons of fat-free gravy with a side of one cup of sauteed green beans and a small baked potato topped with a teaspoon of margarine. If you're not satisfied, add a small apple and one cup of low-fat milk.
• Snack: Half a cup of fat-free fruit yogurt.