If the risks of getting your sodium levels too low have not put you off the diet, it’s time to find out if this is right for you. DASH was made with hypertension in mind, but it was not made for everyone or even generally healthy people.
People with Hypertension
As to be expected, anyone who is suffering from hypertension should be looking at the DASH diet. Your doctor will likely recommend this diet to get your blood pressure under control.
The DASH diet can be used for prolonged periods, so it is a good solution for long-term hypertension control. It will also reduce your need for medication, which many people seek. After all, why fill your body with chemicals from medicine when you can benefit from adjusting what you eat?
If you have not been officially diagnosed with hypertension but feel that this is a possibility, you need to see a doctor. Getting your blood pressure checked by a medical professional is the only way to know if you have hypertension. It would help to leave this brief because symptoms only come when hypertension is dangerous.
Some people do not fully have hypertension and are classified as pre-hypertension. The DASH diet is good for these people as well. Following the DASH diet will reduce the chances of full hypertension and all the following problems.
High Sodium Diet
If you can see that your diet is high in sodium, you should look at the DASH diet. Too much sodium is just as bad, if not worse, than too little. Reducing the sodium in your diet can only lead to good things if you have a high level typically.
If you have a high-sodium diet, you may feel fatigued and suffer from signs of dehydration. While drinking more water will help, you will not be attacking the underlying issue, which is the salt you eat.
Now, you may think that you do not eat much salt and never add more salt to your food. Even if this is the case, your diet could still be very high in sodium. Many common foods have high sodium levels, which all add up.
Some foods that increase your sodium levels include cured meats. That’s right, the ham on your sandwich or the wiener in your hot dog is full of sodium. The sodium content increases during the processing of these foods, and the sodium sneaks into your body.
Processed cheese will also have a higher sodium level than you may think. Salted butter is also a common culprit in high-sodium diets. That pizza you get from your local takeaway also has high sodium levels.
With the most convenient foods with high sodium levels, you can easily see why so many people overeat. The DASH diet could be good if you often get suitable foods and take them away. It will ensure you eat a healthy diet and reduce your sodium intake, so it’s a win-win.
Looking for A Flexible Diet?
If you want to lose weight, DASH may not be the first diet you consider. However, it is one of the better ones regarding the choices and flexibility you have with it. You will need to reduce your calories to lose weight, and several eating plans will help you.
DASH offers diet plans that have 1,200 to 3,100 calories in them. You can choose the one that restricts your calories to your desired level. The fewer calories you eat, the more weight you lose, but you should not go crazy.
The plan that you use should relate to your starting weight and gender. As you lose weight and become used to the diet, you can adjust the diet to suit your needs. This flexibility is something that you only sometimes get with a diet.
So, there are people who should be looking at the DASH diet, but are there others who should not? The answer is that some people should be looking at something other than the DASH diet.
Endurance Athletes
You should avoid the DASH diet if you are seriously into exercise or complete endurance events. Not only will you not need the benefits of it, but the low sodium content can negatively affect your body.
Athletes are at a higher risk of low blood sodium levels and the risks that come from this. As you lose sodium when you sweat, you must have a diet that replenishes this. Losing sodium and not getting it back through your diet will cause low blood sodium, leading to severe medical conditions.
As an athlete or someone into fitness, you are less likely to have a high-sodium diet as the norm. Those who exercise are more likely to have a healthier diet and will not have to lose weight through their diet. This reduces the benefits you get from the diet and increases the risks of too little sodium.
People on Certain Medications
If you have a pre-existing medical condition, you need to be careful when beginning any diet. Some medications can affect the sodium levels in the blood, so you need to consider this. If you are on medication, you must talk to your doctor.
You should do this if you are going to make any changes to your lifestyle while on medication. Want to do more exercise? Talk to your doctor about the activities that will be best for you. Want to change your diet? Talk to your doctor to see if you will be getting all the nutrients you need.
If you take diuretics, lithium, or antidepressants, you must talk to your doctor before trying the DASH diet. These are some of the medications that can reduce the levels of sodium in your blood. You must speak to your doctor if you already have hypertension and are on high blood pressure medications. Taking this medication with the DASH diet will cause deficient sodium levels in your blood and increase the risks of hyponatremia.
Dieters Who Need Support
Some people can only stick to a diet if they have a support group. While you can get some support from people around you with the DASH diet, some people find that it is different from a formal support network.
If you are one of these people, you may have better options. A more formalized and commercialized diet program could be better. Of course, it is essential to note that there are some groups for people on this diet that you could join for support. They will not be official groups and will generally be other dieters offering support to each other.
