Dash diet in your lifestyle

As we have covered what the DASH diet is and the major benefits, it is natural to want to start on the diet now. But, one of the questions you have to ask is: How to incorporate the DASH diet into your lifestyle?

Due to the fact that many foods you will eat at restaurants or that you purchase which are pre-packaged are higher in sodium, how can you incorporate the diet in to your day to day routine, while still enjoying some of your favorite foods, and visiting some of your favorite establishments to dine out with friends and family?

For starters, you are going to want to include more fruits and veggies in the diet each day. So, if possible go for dishes that contain fruits, or have greens in them, as they are highly advised foods to eat on the diet. It is also important to cut out foods that are high in saturated fats, cholesterol, and trans fats. Although this might not be ideal on the go, when you are at home, it is quite simple, by purchasing foods that are limited in these labels, which tend to lead to hypertension and higher blood pressure levels.

Red meat is something that you should limit. So, one easy way to do this is to choose other lean proteins during the day. You can eat chicken, or other meat and fish, or you can incorporate protein shakes in the diet. You do not have to eliminate red meat, just limit it.

An easy solution for snacks, are nuts, as they are high in the healthy fats your body needs, and are easy to take around with you nearly anywhere. If you are hungry, and need a quick snack, they are readily accessible. It is also important to avoid processed foods. So, instead of white bread, whole grains are the choice to make.

If you are trying to find simple recipe ideas, and would like to incorporate the diet in to your lifestyle, there are thousands of ideas out there. You are simply limiting processed foods, sweets, and refined sugars, and going for all natural food options. With sodium, you are going to have more some days than others, and this is okay. The goal of the diet is to keep you close to the recommended average, for a period of time. And, with many food producers making low sodium options, you can easily stay at the limit, or close to it, for each day of the week.

The DASH Diet is actually quite simple to follow, and is not going to require major changes to be made, in order for you to be able to fit it in to your lifestyle. You are basically limiting sodium intake, cutting refined and processed foods, and going with all natural choices (i.e. – eating the foods you should eat). It does not really limit what you can eat, only quantities, and gives you guidelines for making better choices, making it one of the easier diets to transition in to, and follow on a daily basis.