The DASH Diet for Beginners: The Guide to Getting Started

The DASH Diet for Beginners: The Guide to Getting Started (Amazon) (411 words)In 1993 the DASH diet was designed as a Dietary Approach to Stop Hypertension; thus the acronym for treating high blood pressure. However, what began as a healthful approach to reducing hypertension became a sensible plan for weight reduction, as well.This new DASH Diet for weight loss still includes limiting your daily sodium intake from 1500 mg to 2300 mg per day, plus other recommendations found in healthful food plans: limiting fat consumption, especially trans fats and saturated fat; limiting sugar and sugar substitutes; increasing fiber intake, fruit, vegetable and low-fat dairy intake; increase lean protein consumption; reduce alcohol and caffeine intake, and embrace a low-impact, moderate exercise plan for a minimum of 30 minutes per day. These are all sensible measures.Five common sense reasons to choose the DASH Diet are: It is easy to follow, is not a starvation diet, there is no membership fee, provides relief from metabolic syndrome, and can be paired with any diet (ex. gluten-free, kosher, etc.) However, the book does caution the reader that there will be challenges, as with any major changes in diet and lifestyle.The first introductory chapter explains the diet and this is followed by Chapter Two, which tells why the diet works from a scientific standpoint for lay people. The information is backed up by the USDA, the US government’s high blood pressure education program, The American Heart Association, as well as medical journals, so the diet seems quite sound. For example, Chapter Two explains how this diet not only reduces hypertension, but also reduces the risk of strokes, heart attacks/heart failure, diabetes, colon cancer, and kidney stones. With an emphasis on whole foods combined with exercise and eliminating undesirable foods such as high fructose corn syrup, this diet can be one that you can manage, especially with Part Four, The Dash Diet in Action, which gives you the tools (ex. ways of cooking healthfully) to succeed.Of course, the menus and recipes are the highlight of this book, and with 150 recipes plus a 30-day meal plan, the DASH Diet seems to have covered all the bases. The recipes are not complicated and include dishes from breakfasts to desserts. This book is a complete package of information, motivation, and easy-to-prepare recipes to keep you on track.The DASH Diet for Beginners from Sonoma Press (soft-cover) sells for $18.99 and is also available on Kindle for $9.99.

I picked this purchase up on the Kindle edition because I was looking for a different view on dieting. I wanted a diet book that would not limit me with the “high carb/low fat” or the “low carb/high protein” and all those sorts of things that seem to flood our brains everyday as the only way to manage my weight. I needed to work on getting the right balance because I have tried other diets and they didn’t seem to work for me. This book allowed me to look at food choices and weight management in a detailed way. It took me step-by-step in showing me how to get started. A little bit of the stuff is stuff I already knew, but the thing about this diet is addressing problems such as “Metabolic Syndrome”. I like the fact that is written in a way to care correctly for my body, such as reducing cholesterol, triglycerides and hypertension. I come from a family history of these illnesses and it was important that I get a book to teach me how to do this right the first time because I am just exhausted of all the media hype on dieting. All in all this book is great for someone who is ready to move on past the phase diets and really get on track to eating right and doing some form of exercising. The recipes in this book are really delish and they aren’t that complicated with out of this world, hard-to-find ingredients.

The DASH Diet for Beginners: The Guide to Getting Started is an insightful resource guide geared toward instructing people on how to make the DASH Diet (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) work healthfully and effectively for any lifestyle long-term. Originally developed as an eating program study to reliably reduce blood pressure in 1993 by a group of researchers—including physicians from Harvard Medical School, Duke University School of Medicine, and Johns Hopkins Medical Center—the DASH diet’s volunteers noticed more than just lowered hypertension. Many participants lost weight, which wasn’t the study’s original goal. In addition to giving a background on the DASH Diet this book offers great advice on how to incorporate the ‘diet’ into one’s schedule and life by emphasizing the importance of optimal health, reduced hypertension levels, and healthful weight loss. Because the program is designed to help a person long-term the book further contributes suggestions on efficient cooking methods and meal planning for readers, as well as recipes for breakfast, lunch, dinner, dessert, and appetizers and snacks. Verdict: The DASH Diet for Beginners: The Guide to Getting Started is a must-read for anyone interested in partaking in a scientifically proven method of lowering blood pressure and losing and keeping off excess weight. The DASH diet emphasizes portion size, eating a variety of foods and getting the right amount of nutrients and this book hits every note on how to get every person to try the plan.

I am so not impressed with this one. Sorry

Wasn't as detailed about the diet as would be necessary to follow it. Good recipes and good general overview of the diet but another book would be necessary to really know the diet restrictions and expectations

informative

It is a good book with lots of recipes. I lost a pound a day for the first five days due to reduction in salt intake. It made me much more aware of salt in foods.I would have liked to have the page number for recipes that are recommended on the menu pages.

Arrived as described