The DASH Diet

Healthcare professionals see DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) as a perfect eating plan for high blood pressure. Released in 1991 after years of controlled studies, the DASH diet has shown remarkable results in lowering blood pressure, say local dietitians.

"It goes beyond the doctor telling you to cut out sodium," said Lise Karpel, a registered dietitian at Ephrata Community Hospital in Pennsylvania. "DASH shows you something about the synergistic effects of healthy foods in your diet," she said. "There is a combination of many fresh foods and not much room for processed foods. It is definitely lower in sugar than the typical American diet. And it is higher in fiber."

After seeing its value for hypertension, widely published in professional journals, dietitians such as Karpel saw an additional value of the DASH eating plan for improving glucose tolerance for diabetics, improvement of bone health, and incidentally for weight loss.

DASH is easy to start with. You can begin right away, without having to do everything on it, said Norma Herr-Harris, registered dietitian, at Heart of Lancaster [Pennsylvania]. She works with clients who have had gastric bypass surgery for weight loss.

The word "diet" automatically means "weight loss" to most people, said Brian Burk who is a therapist in cardiac rehabilitation at Lancaster General, "To us (clinicians), change your diet, means change the food you eat," he said.

A healthy diet is no longer just about counting calories or cutting back on sodium, said Burk. For example, calcium won't deposit if you eat it with iron. You need Vitamin D for the process to take place, among the things you need to know," he said. "That can be a lot of work. Now, online programs do those calculations for you."

Other programs online perform similar functions.

The Mayo Pyramid is another favorite recommendation to patients by Jackie Roberts, registered dietitian at Lancaster General Hospital.

The Mayo Pyramid is realistic and it allows flexibility, she said. The DASH plan limits sweets severely, she said, and its dependence on grains may not be realistic for everyone who needs to make an immediate change in eating habits for weight management.

"The tip of the Mayo pyramid is an extra 75 calories per day that can be one ounce of jelly beans, one glass of wine, or three chocolate kisses," she said. "You can save up these calories and use them once a week. You submit your food records and you get motivational e-mails," a feature that's common to most of the online subscription plans.

FitDay is a free online program that automatically calculates nutrients in food. A more sophisticated version is available for a fee. Jenn Reed, a registered dietitian at Universal Fitness, uses this program when counseling about nutrition for clients who then share their passwords with her. When she has a free moment during her day, Jenn can go to the client's FitDay page, look at the record, and perhaps send an e-mail or a phone call if she sees a need for counseling or applause.

Behavior change is "huge," in any dietary change, said Norma Herr-Harris.