This is a great little book which explains the DASH diet and how to implement it, plus it contains 144 pages of recipes. The idea behind the book is to adopt a healthy diet so that you can reduce your dependence on the pharmaceutical industry (1).
In the second chapter, author Nathalie Seaton explains the acronym DASH: Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension. U.S. News & World Report rates the DASH diet as #2, overall, just behind the Mediterranean diet (2). The DASH diet was based upon studies by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to prevent and control high blood pressure.
As with all diets, please see your personal physician before making any changes. Some diets may be harmful for certain individuals, so an examination and medical history should be completed with your medical team first.
Besides outlining what foods are included in this diet, the book also includes a list DASH drawbacks, some very important considerations (1):
- The sodium restriction can be quite difficult, especially if you are used to convenience foods, eating out, or keeping a salt shaker nearby.
- It’s not an inexpensive plan, as fresh foods are required which are more costly.
- Convenience foods should be avoided, which can be a burden for those who are busy.
- There isn’t a good support system in place. Support groups are helpful for most of us when actively losing weight.
- It requires tracking to see that you have included all the servings of the food categories.
- This diet is designed to maximize health, not weight loss.
- There are health conditions which may make this diet inappropriate for some of us.
This diet does have many benefits, so I hope I haven’t scared you off (1). The DASH diet
- Eases the symptoms of hypertension.
- Includes highly nutritious foods.
- May improve kidney health.
- Likely improves your cholesterol profile as well as your glucose tolerance.
- Reduces inflammatory response factors for diabetics.
- Helps with weight loss.
Early chapters in this book explain what to eat, compare DASH to other popular diets, and make exercise suggestions.
The largest section of the book is comprised of recipes. All the usual categories are included, like Breakfasts, Appetizers, Main Dishes, Side Dishes, and Snacks & Desserts. There are no photographs of the recipes; however, each one includes these nutritional values: calories, total fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, sodium, total carbohydrates, fiber, sugar, and protein.
The photo above shows the vegetarian main dish I chose to make, Butternut Squash Macaroni and Cheese. The instructions were easy to follow and the food was relatively tasty. I was pretty skeptical about substituting squash for most of the cheese, but the texture wasn’t too far off. Really what was missing was the salt! It would be a simple matter to just add some, but then we’d be getting away from the main premise of this book. (The shredded Parmesan on top was not a part of the recipe, but it just needed a little extra appeal – especially since I had omitted the olive oil.)
I recommend DASH DIET for Beginners because it has some very clever recipe edits that will help you to eat healthier without sacrificing too much taste. It won’t produce rapid weight loss, but can definitely be a part of maintaining our healthy weight.
(1). DASH DIET for Beginners: Lower Blood Pressure, Reduce Cholesterol, and Manage Diabetes Naturally. Nathalie Seaton. 2021.
Maintain Weight Loss 