Description of the DASH Eating Plan- DASH Eating Plan
1. DASH is a flexible and balanced eating plan that helps create a heart-healthy
eating style for life.
2. The DASH eating plan requires no special foods and instead provides daily
and weekly nutritional goals.
3. This plan recommends: Eating vegetables, fruits, and whole grains
4. Including fat-free or low-fat dairy products, fish, poultry, beans, nuts, and
vegetable oils
5. Limiting foods that are high in saturated fat, such as fatty meats, full-fat dairy
products, and tropical oils such as coconut, palm kernel, and palm oils
6. Limiting sugar-sweetened beverages and sweets.
Based on these recommendations, the following table shows examples of daily and
weekly servings that meet DASH eating plan targets for a 2,000-calorie-a-day diet.
Daily and Weekly DASH Eating Plan Goals for a 2,000-Calorie-a-Day Diet
Food Group
Daily Servings
Grains
6–8
Meats, poultry, and fish
6 or less
Vegetables
4–5
Fruit
4–5
Low-fat or fat-free dairy products
2–3
Fats and oils
2–3
Sodium
2,300 mg*
Weekly Servings
Nuts, seeds, dry beans, and peas
4–5
Sweets
5 or less
*1,500 milligrams (mg) sodium lowers blood pressure even further than 2,300 mg
sodium daily.
7. When following the DASH eating plan, it is important to choose foods that are:



Low in saturated and trans fats
Rich in potassium, calcium, magnesium, fiber, and protein
Lower in sodium
Health Benefits of the DASH Eating Plan- DASH Eating Plan
Four NHLBI-funded studies tested the health benefits of the DASH diet by comparing the DASH
diet with the typical American diet or by comparing different variations of the DASH diet. Another
NHLBI-funded study, the PREMIER clinical trial, measured the health benefits of following the
DASH diet and increasing physical activity.
The results of these studies showed that the DASH diet lowers blood pressure and LDL
cholesterol in the blood and shaped the NHLBI’s DASH eating plan recommendations, which
includes following a DASH diet with reduced sodium intake.
Following the DASH Eating Plan- DASH Eating Plan
The DASH eating plan is easy to follow using common foods available in your grocery store.
8. The plan includes daily servings from different food groups. The number of
servings you should have depends on your daily calorie (energy) needs.
9. To figure out your calorie needs, you need to consider your age and physical
activity level. If you want to maintain your current weight, you should eat
only as many calories as you burn by being physically active. This is called
energy balance.
(For more information about energy balance, go to the Health Topics Overweight
and Obesity article.)
10.If you need to lose weight, you should eat fewer calories than you burn or
increase your activity level to burn more calories than you eat.
Consider your physical activity level. Are you sedentary, moderately active, or
active?



Sedentary means that you do only light physical activity as part of your typical
daily routine.
Moderately active means that you do physical activity equal to walking about
1.5 to 3 miles a day at 3 to 4 miles per hour, plus light physical activity.
Active means that you do physical activity equal to walking more than 3 miles
per day at 3 to 4 miles per hour, plus light physical activity.
Use the chart below to estimate your daily calorie needs.
Daily Calorie Needs for Women
Age
(years)
Calories Needed for
Sedentary
Activity
Level
Calories
Needed
for
Moderately Active Activity
Level
Calories Needed for
Active
Activity
Level
19–30
2,000
2,000–2,200
2,400
31–50
1,800
2,000
2,200
51+
1,600
1,800
2,000–2,200
Daily Calorie Needs for Men
Age
(years)
Calories Needed for
Sedentary
Activity
Level
Calories
Needed
for
Moderately Active Activity
Level
Calories Needed for
Active
Activity
Level
19–30
2,400
2,600–2,800
3,000
31–50
2,200
2,400–2,600
2,800–3,000
51+
2,000
2,200–2,400
2,400–2,800
After figuring out your daily calorie needs, go to the table below and find the closest
calorie level to yours. This table estimates the number of servings from each food
group that you should have. Serving quantities are per day, unless otherwise noted.
DASH Eating Plan—Number of Food Servings by Calorie Level
Food
Group
1,200
Cal.
1,400
Cal.
1,600
Cal.
Grainsa
4–5
5–6
6
Vegetabl
es
3–4
3–4
Fruits
3–4
Fat-free
or low-fat
dairy
productsb
Lean
meats,
poultry,
and fish
1,800
Cal.
2,000
Cal.
2,600
Cal.
3,100
Cal.
6
6–8
10–11
12–13
3–4
4–5
4–5
5–6
6
4
4
4–5
4–5
5–6
6
2–3
2–3
2–3
2–3
2–3
3
3–4
3 or
less
3–4 or
less
3–4 or
less
6 or
less
6 or
less
6 or
less
6–9
Nuts,
seeds,
and
legumes
3 per
week
3 per
week
3–4
per
week
4 per
week
4–5
per
week
1
1
Fats and
oilsc
1
1
2
2–3
2–3
3
4
Sweets
and added
sugars
3 or
less
per
week
3 or
less
per
week
3 or
less
per
week
5 or
less
per
week
5 or
less
per
week
≤2
≤2
Maximu
m sodium
limitd
2,300
mg/da
y
2,300
mg/da
y
2,300
mg/da
y
2,300
mg/da
y
2,300
mg/da
y
2,300
mg/da
y
2,300
mg/da
y
11.a Whole grains are recommended for most grain servings as a good source of
fiber and nutrients. Serving sizes vary between ½ cup and 1¼ cups, depending
on cereal type. Check the product's Nutrition Facts label.
12.For lactose intolerance, try either lactase enzyme pills with dairy products or
lactose-free or lactose-reduced milk.
13.Fat content changes the serving amount for fats and oils. For example, 1 Tbsp
regular salad dressing = one serving; 1 Tbsp low-fat dressing = one-half
serving; 1 Tbsp fat-free dressing = zero servings.
14.The DASH eating plan has a sodium limit of either 2,300 mg or 1,500 mg per
day.
DASH Eating Plan—Serving Sizes, Examples, and Significance
Food Group
Serving Sizes
Grainsa
1 slice bread
1
oz
cerealb
dry
½ cup cooked
rice, pasta, or
cerealb
Vegetables
1 cup raw leafy
vegetable
½ cup cut-up
raw or cooked
vegetable
Examples and Notes
Significance of Each
Food Group to the
DASH Eating Plan
Whole-wheat bread and
rolls, whole-wheat pasta,
English muffin, pita bread,
bagel, cereals, grits, oatmeal,
brown rice, unsalted pretzels
and popcorn
Major sources of
energy and fiber
Broccoli, carrots, collards,
green beans, green peas,
kale, lima beans, potatoes,
spinach, squash, sweet
potatoes, tomatoes
Rich sources of
potassium,
magnesium,
and
fiber
Apples, apricots, bananas,
dates, grapes, oranges,
grapefruit, grapefruit juice,
mangoes, melons, peaches,
pineapples,
raisins,
strawberries, tangerines
Important sources
of
potassium,
magnesium,
and
fiber
½
cup
vegetable juice
Fruits
1 medium fruit
¼ cup dried
fruit
½ cup fresh,
frozen,
or
canned fruit
½ cup
juice
Fat-free
or
low-fat dairy
productsc
fruit
1 cup milk or
yogurt
1½ oz cheese
Lean meats,
poultry, and
fish
1 oz cooked
meats, poultry,
or fish
Fat-free milk or buttermilk;
fat-free, low-fat, or reducedfat cheese; fat-free/low-fat
regular or frozen yogurt
Major sources of
calcium and protein
Select only lean; trim away
visible fats; broil, roast, or
poach; remove skin from
poultry
Rich sources of
protein
and
magnesium
Almonds, filberts, mixed
nuts, peanuts, walnuts,
sunflower seeds, peanut
butter, kidney beans, lentils,
split peas
Rich sources of
energy,
magnesium,
protein, and fiber
1 egg
Nuts, seeds,
and legumes
⅓ cup or 1½ oz
nuts
2 Tbsp peanut
butter
2 Tbsp or ½ oz
seeds
½ cup cooked
legumes (dried
beans, peas)
Fats and oilsd
1
tsp
soft
margarine
1 tsp vegetable
oil
Soft margarine, vegetable oil
(canola,
corn,
olive,
safflower),
low-fat
mayonnaise, light salad
dressing
The DASH study
had 27% of calories
as fat, including fat
in or added to foods
Fruit-flavored gelatin, fruit
punch, hard candy, jelly,
maple syrup, sorbet and ices,
sugar
Sweets should be
low in fat
1
Tbsp
mayonnaise
2 Tbsp salad
dressing
Sweets and
added sugars
1 Tbsp sugar
1 Tbsp jelly or
jam
½ cup sorbet,
gelatin dessert
1
cup
lemonade
Getting Started with the DASH Eating Plan- DASH Eating
Plan
Get started PDF:
15. HEALTHY EATING, PROVEN RESULTS It’s easy to adopt the DASH eating plan. Even
small changes made gradually lead to significant benefits. Follow these steps to begin a
healthy lifestyle for a lifetime.
16. Assess where you are now. The DASH eating plan requires no special foods and has no
hard-to-follow recipes. One way to begin is by using the free, interactive to find out how
many calories you need per day to maintain or reach your goal weight. Then fill in the
What’s on Your Plate? worksheet for a few days and see how your current food habits
compare with the DASH plan. This will help you see what changes you need to make.
17. Discuss medication with your doctor. If you take medication to control high blood pressure
or cholesterol, you should not stop using it. Follow the DASH eating plan and talk with
your doctor about your medication treatment as part of an overall plan for wellness.
18. Make DASH a part of your healthy life. The DASH eating plan along with other lifestyle
changes can help you control your blood pressure and lower blood cholesterol. Important
lifestyle recommendations include: achieve and maintain a healthy weight, get regular
physical activity, and, if you drink alcohol, do so in moderation (up to one drink per day
for women and up to two drinks per day for men).
19. DASH is for everyone in the family. Start with the meal plans in A Week With the DASH
Eating Plan if you want to follow the menus similar to those used in the DASH trial— then
make up your own using your favorite foods. In fact, your entire family can eat meals using
the DASH eating plan because it can be adapted to meet varied nutritional needs, food
preferences, and dietary requirements.
20. Don’t worry. Remember that on some days the foods you eat may add up to more than the
recommended servings from one food group and less from another. Or, you may have too
much sodium on a particular day. Just try your best to keep the average of several days
close to the DASH eating plan and the sodium level recommended for you.
Making the Move to DASH PDF:
21. Change gradually. If you now eat one or two servings of vegetables a day, add a serving at
lunch and another at dinner.
22. If you don’t eat fruit now or have juice only at breakfast, add a serving of fruit to your
meals or have it as a snack.
23. Gradually increase your use of milk, yogurt, and cheese to three servings a day. For
example, drink milk with lunch or dinner, instead of soda, sugar-sweetened tea, or alcohol.
24. Choose fat-free or low-fat (1 percent) milk, yogurt, and reduced-fat cheese to reduce your
intake of saturated fat, cholesterol, and calories and to increase your calcium.
25. Read the Nutrition Facts label on frozen and prepared meals, pizza, and desserts to choose
those lowest in saturated fat and trans fat.
26. Vary your proteins. Choose lean cuts of meat and remove skin from poultry.
27. Check the labels on ground meats and poultry and select those with lower saturated fat.
28. Serve fish instead of meat or poultry once or twice each week.
29. Include two or more vegetarian (meatless) meals each week.
30. Aim to fill ½ your plate with vegetables and fruits, ¼ with whole grains, and ¼ with fish,
lean meat, poultry, or beans.
31. Add extra vegetables to casseroles, pasta, and stir-fry dishes.
32. Select nutritious, tasty snacks. Fruits offer great taste and variety. Use fruits canned in their
own juice or packed in water. Fresh fruits are fast and easy and dried fruits are a good
choice to carry with you or to have in the car.
33. Try these snack ideas: unsalted rice cakes; nuts mixed with raisins; graham crackers; fatfree and lowfat yogurt; popcorn with no salt or butter added; raw vegetables.
34. Make healthy substitutions. Choose whole grain foods for most grain servings to get more
nutrients, such as minerals and fiber. For example, choose whole wheat bread or whole
grain cereals.
35. If you have trouble digesting milk and milk products, try taking lactase enzyme pills with
the milk products. Or, buy lactose-free milk.
36. If you are allergic to nuts, use beans or seeds (such as sunflower, flax, or sesame seeds).