Has anyone tried the DASH diet?

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  • missh1967
    missh1967 Posts: 661 Member
    edited June 2017
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    dfwesq wrote: »
    I'm on a similar eating plan, and it's working out well in so many ways. :)

    x2, but I will say that exercise and weight loss also play key roles in improving certain things like triglycerides, LDL, and HDL. (I also take medication, because genetics)
  • ACSL3
    ACSL3 Posts: 623 Member
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    NatalueEH wrote: »
    Hi All I've just been told I have high cholesterol 7.2 , I'm 68 not overweight & I thought healthy so am a bit shocked and scared .
    My Dr has recommended the DASH diet has anyone tried it ? Got any views/tips ?
    Natalie

    I'm curious what the 7.2 number references?
  • missh1967
    missh1967 Posts: 661 Member
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    ACSL3 wrote: »
    NatalueEH wrote: »
    Hi All I've just been told I have high cholesterol 7.2 , I'm 68 not overweight & I thought healthy so am a bit shocked and scared .
    My Dr has recommended the DASH diet has anyone tried it ? Got any views/tips ?
    Natalie

    I'm curious what the 7.2 number references?
    I think that's the ratio. http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/high-blood-cholesterol/expert-answers/cholesterol-ratio/faq-20058006
  • amusedmonkey
    amusedmonkey Posts: 10,330 Member
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    ACSL3 wrote: »
    NatalueEH wrote: »
    Hi All I've just been told I have high cholesterol 7.2 , I'm 68 not overweight & I thought healthy so am a bit shocked and scared .
    My Dr has recommended the DASH diet has anyone tried it ? Got any views/tips ?
    Natalie

    I'm curious what the 7.2 number references?

    It's just using a different unit of measurement. 7.2 mmol/L is equivalent to 278 mg/dl
  • mlsh1969
    mlsh1969 Posts: 138 Member
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    CharlieBeansmomTracey wrote: »
    mlsh1969 wrote: »
    CharlieBeansmomTracey wrote: »
    dfwesq wrote: »
    ssbbg wrote: »
    I thought the primary result of the DASH diet was to reduce blood pressure not cholesterol? The NIH resources are very good, so I would read those materials.

    I personally found the diet was too low sodium and the increased potassium wasn't sufficient for my electrolyte balance. I followed it for 6 months (?) And felt like death for most of it. The day I broke down and had something horribly salty I felt better within 20 minutes.

    I was a vegetarian who pretty much was already eating per the DASH guidelines so the only change I made was reducing salt and selecting veg that were higher in potassium. I also lived in a hot area without air-conditioning, walked everywhere, and sweated a ton. Oh, and I've always consumed a lot of water. I think that is a bad combo for a low salt diet.
    Following this type of diet can have a lot of beneficial effects. It was intended to reduce blood pressure, but it can also help with other problems, including helping people lose weight.

    The salt restrictions are probably intended for people who have a medical need for that. If your doctor says you're OK to eat more salt, then you should be able to. You should always talk with your doctor about any new diet anyway.

    it will only help weight loss if the person is in a deficit of calories and if it makes them eat lower calorie foods then that is where the deficit comes in.

    I was going to also say this, but it seems like the op is not overweight. In that case, seems like a healthy plan

    not saying its not a healthy plan though

    Cool
  • dfwesq
    dfwesq Posts: 592 Member
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    ssbbg wrote: »
    dfwesq wrote: »

    The salt restrictions are probably intended for people who have a medical need for that. If your doctor says you're OK to eat more salt, then you should be able to. You should always talk with your doctor about any new diet anyway.

    I'll be honest, this response really rubs me the wrong way. I shared my experiences, and you seem to be telling me that I both followed the diet wrong (that I should have ignored the section on sodium and potassium) AND I should have consulted my doctor. The DASH diet sodium recommendations are typical- 2300 mg. Nothing red-flaggy that would suggest a consultation with a doctor was necessary. (Like many Americans I typically consume much higher sodium amounts, so it was a reduction for me.)
    You did say that you followed it for six months and "felt like death" for most of the time. To me, that's a big red flag. If someone feels terrible for an extended period of time, for any reason, be sure to talk with your doctor.

  • jonni82014
    jonni82014 Posts: 1,393 Member
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    As mentioned: Your library should carry the book Dash Diet for Weight Loss (Heller) should take care of LDL HDL Triglycerides and BP. There is a Cookbook as well. I'm debating Dash Diet or Keto any comments? Please and thanks
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
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    jonni82014 wrote: »
    As mentioned: Your library should carry the book Dash Diet for Weight Loss (Heller) should take care of LDL HDL Triglycerides and BP. There is a Cookbook as well. I'm debating Dash Diet or Keto any comments? Please and thanks

    They are very different (depending on how you do them, of course). It would depend on your reasons, how you like to eat, current diet, so on.

    I think DASH is basically standard healthy eating made into a plan and with some additional support.

    Keto is, obviously, extremely low carb. Some find it easier to stick to a deficit on keto. Keto can be done healthfully and not healthfully, can include lots of vegetables (to a limit, I tend to eat more than are easy to fit in on keto) and very few, can be really heavy meat content or much less, so on.
  • davidylin
    davidylin Posts: 228 Member
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    The DASH diet caused me to initially lose weight quickly, likely water weight as my intake of sodium was reduced to nearly 1/4th of my old intake. Over the course of a month or so, it drastically changed my tastes and I found most outside food to be over salted and difficult to eat in large quantities.

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