Type 2 Diabetes Management

DASH Diet Best for Type 2 Diabetes Management

Posted on January 7, 2012 by Lu Young RN

The DASH diet was originally started to help lower blood pressure, but is also great for weight loss.  DASH diet best for type 2 diabetes management for healthy weight loss.  The DASH diet is not a lose weight fast system but one that can help you lose weight for a lifetime.

An article on CBS news by Ryan Jaslow , described the benefits of the DASH diet.

What’s so great about the DASH diet?

The diet was just named the “best diet overall” by U.S. News & World Report in its “2012 Best Diets Rankings.”

Is DASH the best diet for helping people lose weight? Not quite – U.S. News ranked Weight Watchers No.1 in that department, while DASH ranked as the ninth best diet for weight loss.

For the best diets overall category, U.S. News combined panelists’ input from all seven diet ranking categories, some of which included best heart-healthy diets and easiest diets to follow . Long-term diet success was weighed more than short-term, because some diets can give you quick results after New Years, but the true test is when a diet can be sustained for years. Comarow says that’s especially important for obese people, because as little as a 5 percent reduction in body weight could cut an obese person’s risk for diabetes and heart disease.

So what’s so great about DASH?

Designed by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, It’s a diet aimed at preventing and lowering high blood pressure by eating healthy. It emphasizes a lot of the foods we’ve long been told to eat, such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean proteins, and low-fat dairy. Those foods contain nutrients like potassium, calcium, protein, and fiber, which are key for fighting blood pressure – and can help trim waistlines too. DASH also ranked first as the best diet for healthy eating and people with diabetes.

“DASH is actually awesome. It’s pretty realistic, it’s not bizarre. It just asks people to eat a lot of fruits or vegetables and low-fat or non-fat dairy, which really is how I measure the quality of a diet,” Dr. Keith Ayoob, director of the nutrition clinic at the Rose F. Kennedy Center at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, told ABC News. “It’s not inhuman.”

But like a lot of diets, you’d have to give some things up. Red meat, salty snacks, and calorie and fat-laden sweets are a “no-no” on the dash diet. DASH suggests capping sodium at 2,300 milligrams a day and eventually working to stay under 1,500 mg, according to U.S. News.

Here is a DASH diet book that I highly recommend and it is less than $20.  It is highly rated and easy to read.

The complete guide to lowering blood pressure and cholesterol-without medication-through a proven diet, exercise, and weight loss program

Finally, the #1 ranked DASH diet is popularized and user-friendly. Unlike any diet before it, DASH, which stands for Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension, came out of groundbreaking NIH-funded research. Now, Marla Heller, MS, RD, who was trained by one of the primary architects of the DASH diet and is herself the leading dietician putting DASH into action for over ten years, shares the secret to making the diet easy and accessible, in THE DASH DIET ACTION PLAN.

Rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, low-fat and nonfat dairy, lean meats, fish, beans, and nuts, DASH is grounded in healthy eating principles that lower blood pressure; reduce the risk of heart disease, stroke, and some types of cancer; and support reaching and maintaining a healthy weight. No diet has a medical pedigree like DASH, and this book is a simple, actionable plan that can fit seamlessly into everyone’s life and lifestyle. It includes:

• 28 days of meal plans at different calorie ranges
• Simple tools to help you personalize a DASH Diet Action Plan for guaranteed success
• DASH-friendly recipes and shopping lists
• Tips for eating on-the-run
• Advice on healthy weight loss and exercise for every lifestyle.

Now, you can revolutionize your health and change your life-without medication. There are no magical combinations, no forbidden foods-just fabulous, healthy eating!

It has a wonderful price under $20.00. The reviews are incredibly positive….

Click the image below to learn more at Amazon.

The author of the DASH diet book is a registered dietician and has a master’s degree in nutrition.  So check it out and let me know what you think.