DASH diet
A dietary approach designed to lower blood pressure, based on cutting sodium and increasing potassium, calcium and magnesium.
The DASH diet (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) was developed in the United States in the 1990s with a specific aim: to lower blood pressure through diet alone. It regularly tops diet rankings on the basis of the available evidence.
Its principle comes down to two simultaneous moves: cut sodium and increase potassium, calcium and magnesium. In practice, this means plenty of fruit and vegetables, wholegrain cereals, low-fat dairy products, poultry, fish and nuts, and limiting red meat, sugary products and processed foods.
Potassium intake matters as much as cutting salt. This is the aspect most often forgotten: blood pressure depends on the ratio of sodium to potassium, not on sodium alone. Eating more potassium-rich plant foods therefore works on the same lever as putting down the salt shaker, and the two effects add up.
The measured effects are quick, within a few weeks, and also concern LDL cholesterol and the risk of type 2 diabetes. The diet is not designed for weight loss, although it often happens. Our DASH diet guide explains how to put it into practice.