Christopher Lahr, 32, of Bellefonte, Pennsylvania, is happy with the medical results he got this week. Last March, he had borderline high blood pressure, and instead of starting him on medication, his doctor recommended the DASH Diet.
Although DASH, which Lahr had never heard of, involved a complete overhaul of his eating lifestyle, he went for it. Today, his blood pressure is normal, his once-high cholesterol and borderline glucose tests are “perfect” and he feels “fantastic.” Oh, and in the space of a year, Lahr lost 115 pounds.
Change in Approach
The name DASH, which stands for Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension, was coined in the 1997 New England Journal of Medicine study that started it all. Until then, dietary approaches had mainly focused on cutting salt and alcohol — and weight loss. In this study, researchers instead looked at overall eating patterns, testing three types of diets, with similar sodium levels in 456 people. One was a “typical” American diet.
The second and third diets were rich in fruit and vegetables. In addition, the third “combination” diet was slightly higher in protein and calcium, and reduced in fats. It worked best of the three in reducing blood pressure. The results were especially impressive in participants with hypertension, according to Lawrence Appel, a professor of medicine at Johns Hopkins and one of the study’s lead investigators.
Besides reducing blood pressure, other studies show DASH helps the heart by promoting healthier cholesterol and triglyceride levels. And the DASH approach is in line with American Diabetes Association guidelines. But there’s been one drawback: Few people follow it. A 2008 study in the Archives of Internal Medicine suggests less than one-fifth of Americans with high blood pressure adhere to DASH-style eating.
Because DASH isn’t a commercial diet, there’s no industry marketing behind it. And since it involves an overall dietary pattern, Appel says, “It’s hard to get somebody particularly engaged when it’s not patentable.” On the other hand, he adds, “If this was a pill, there’d be people making billions.”
Good Diet, No Gimmicks
For the past five years, an expert panel has rated the nation’s top diets for U.S. News, and each year, DASH ranks as the Best Diet Overall. It’s also the Best Diet for Healthy Eating, and ties for first among Best Diets for Diabetes for 2015.
In the Best Weight-Loss Diets category, DASH tends to fall somewhere in the middle. That’s probably not surprising — unlike top-ranked Weight Watchers, DASH was developed to reduce blood pressure, not weight, although it can be adapted that way. And attaining a healthy weight is a likely DASH byproduct as people change the way they eat.
Even so, DASH is “obscure,” U.S. News’ panel of experts note. It doesn’t feature meat-devouring cavemen or butter-infused coffee. And with its roots in government research, DASH doesn’t have a team of marketers out spreading the word.
“Things tend to catch people’s interest when there’s something radically new,” says Marla Heller, a dietitian and author of several books on DASH. But awareness may be rising, adds Heller, who’s hearing more feedback like, “My doctor’s telling me I need to go on the DASH Diet.”
Still, Sharon Richter, a dietitian based in New York City, doesn’t hear much about it from clients. “I feel the DASH Diet is kind of an older diet — it’s not as popular,” she says. “People tend to think it’s [just for] high blood pressure; it’s for senior citizens.”
Young adults tend to be more into trendy diets and juice cleanses, Richter says. However, she believes eating a balanced diet and exercising work best in the long run. “All these things that are very dramatic are never going to be permanent,” she says.
What DASH Entails
The DASH eating plan “is low in saturated fat, cholesterol and total fat, and emphasizes fruits, vegetables and fat-free or low-fat milk and milk products,” the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute explains. It also includes whole grains, fish, poultry and nuts — while cutting red meats, sweets and added sugars.
Richter notes that portion sizes are important in DASH. She says it’s meant to be “a diet rich in potassium, calcium and magnesium, using sodium-free products.”
Heller, whose latest book is “The DASH Diet Younger You,” says the more veggies, the better. “Fill half your plate with colorful vegetables and have a side dish of salad,” she says. “So that you’re actually having a lot of vegetables at a meal. And then use your fruits for satisfying your sweet tooth.” She says being smart about satiety — incorporating meals and snacks featuring lean protein — keeps people from filling up on high-calorie foods
DASH Journey
For Lahr, DASH represents more than a diet. When he decided to start, he was in what he describes as “a very dark place.” Two months earlier, his wife unexpectedly died at 29 following a surgical procedure. Lahr felt he had two choices: “Do nothing and just fall into a dark hole and try to get through my days,” or “Get out and do something to improve my life,” as he is certain his wife would have wanted.
Incorporating DASH helped keep his mind occupied and gave him focus. That started with researching the diet online, where he came upon Heller’s books and online support groups. Soon, he was sitting down each weekend and planning out the next week’s menu before heading to the grocery store.
Rather than entirely give up the potato chips he used to munch on, he switched over to multigrain tortilla chips made with brown rice flour, quinoa and several types of seeds. “I literally bought scales,” Lahr says, and each evening he’d weigh out his evening snack — an ounce of chips and an ounce of hummus. Finding that “it’s not cheap to eat healthy,” he countered by doing his own gardening, growing peppers, tomatoes, green beans, corn, broccoli, sweet peas and hot peppers, and he plans to add asparagus this summer.
Like many diets, DASH encourages exercise. “I started working in some easy exercise over the summer, and then this fall I started going to the gym and getting into a routine,” Lahr says.
Let Them Eat Cake
Sticking with DASH “definitely takes willpower,” Lahr says, and while it took a month or so to get into the routine, it’s since become second nature. Now, his father jokes that he’s a “food snob,” but Lahr says healthier eating habits are actually rubbing off on his parents.
Lahr’s workplace is Actuated Medical, a medical device company. “We have about 25 people, and we always do birthdays for everybody,” he says. “There’s always birthday cake. And I laugh because I go with a little cup of yogurt and eat and watch while everyone else eats cake.” On his birthday? “They gave me a fruit tray.”
More from U.S. News
9 Simple Ways to Reduce Your Sodium Intake Now
10 Diets That Help Prevent or Manage Diabetes
DASH: the Best Diet With the Least Buzz originally appeared on usnews.com
