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DASH Eating Plan 

The DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) is a flexible and balanced eating plan designed to promote a heart-healthy lifestyle. It does not require special foods and sets daily and weekly nutritional goals. The DASH eating plan recommends the following:

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  • Eat plenty of vegetables, fruits, and whole grains.

  • Include fat-free or low-fat dairy products, fish, poultry, beans, nuts, and healthy vegetable oils.

  • Limit foods high in saturated fat, such as fatty meats, full-fat dairy products, and tropical oils (like coconut, palm kernel, and palm oils).

  • Reduce the consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages and sweets.

Based on these recommendations, the following table provides examples of daily and weekly servings that align with the DASH eating plan for a 2,000-calorie-a-day diet.
 

When following the DASH eating plan, it's important to choose foods that are:

  • Low in saturated and trans fats

  • Rich in potassium, calcium, magnesium, fiber, and protein

  • Lower in sodium

Daily and Weekly DASH Eating Plan Goals for a
2,000-Calorie-a-Day Diet 

Food Group

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Grains 

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Meats, poultry, and fish 

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Vegetables ​

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Fruit 

 

Low-fat or fat-free dairy products​​

Fats and oils ​

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Sodium ​

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Nuts, seeds, dry beans, and peas ​

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Sweets ​

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Daily Servings 

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6–8 

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6 or less 

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4–5 ​

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4–5 

 

2–3 ​

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2–3 ​

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2,300 mg* 

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Weekly Servings

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4–5 

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5 or less 

 

*1,500 milligrams (mg) sodium lowers blood pressure even further than 2,300 mg sodium daily. 

Following the DASH Eating Plan 

The DASH Eating Plan: A Practical Guide

The DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) eating plan is simple to follow and utilizes everyday foods that you can find at your local grocery store. It includes daily servings from a variety of food groups, and the specific number of servings you require will depend on your individual calorie needs.

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To determine your calorie needs, take into account your age and physical activity level. If your goal is to maintain your current weight, you should consume approximately the same number of calories that you burn through daily activities—this concept is known as energy balance. To lose weight, you will need to either reduce your calorie intake or increase your physical activity so that you burn more calories than you consume. 

 

Assessing Your Activity Level

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Understanding your activity level is important for customizing the DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) plan to meet your specific energy needs and health goals. 

  • Sedentary: You engage in only light physical activity as part of your typical daily routine.  

  • Moderately Active: You walk about 1.5 to 3 miles per day at a pace of 3 to 4 miles per hour, in addition to engaging in light daily activities.  

  • Active: You walk more than 3 miles per day at the same pace, along with participating in light physical activities.

Use the chart below to estimate your daily calorie needs. 
Daily Calorie Needs for Women 

Age (years) 

Calories Needed for Sedentary Activity Level

Calories Needed for Moderately Active Activity Level

Calories Needed for Active Activity Level 

19–30

2,200

2,000–2,200 

2,400 

31–50 

1,800 

2,000 

2,200 

51+ 

1,600 

1,800 

2,000–2,200 

Daily Calorie Needs for Men 

Age (years) 

Calories Needed for Sedentary Activity Level

Calories Needed for Moderately Active Activity Level

Calories Needed for Active Activity Level 

19–30

2,400 

2,600–2,800

3,000 

31–50 

2,200

2,400–2,600 

2,800–3,000 

51+ 

2,200

2,200–2,400 

2,400–2,800 

After figuring out your daily calorie needs, go to the table below and find the closest calorie level to yours. This table estimates the number of servings from each food group that you should have. Serving quantities are per day, unless otherwise noted.

Daily Calorie Needs for Men 

Food Group S

Serving Sizes 

Examples and Notes

Significance of Each Food Group to the DASH Eating Plan 

Grainsa 

1 slice bread

1 oz dry cereal

½ cup cooked rice, pasta,

or cereal 

Whole-wheat bread and rolls, whole-wheat pasta, English muffin, pita bread, bagel, cereals, grits, oatmeal, brown rice, unsalted pretzels and popcorn 

Whole-wheat bread and rolls, whole-wheat pasta, English muffin, pita bread, bagel, cereals, grits, oatmeal, brown rice, unsalted pretzels and popcorn 

Vegetables

Whole-wheat bread and rolls, whole-wheat pasta, English muffin, pita bread, bagel, cereals, grits, oatmeal, brown rice, unsalted pretzels and popcorn 

Broccoli, carrots, collards, green beans, green peas, kale, lima beans, potatoes, spinach, squash, sweet potatoes, tomatoes 

Rich sources of potassium, magnesium, and fiber 

Fruits

1 medium fruit

¼ cup dried fruit

½ cup fresh, frozen, or canned fruit

½ cup fruit juice 

Apples, apricots, bananas, dates, grapes, oranges, grapefruit, grapefruit juice, mangoes, melons, peaches, pineapples, raisins, strawberries, tangerines 

Important sources of potassium, magnesium, and fiber 

Fat-free or low-fat dairy productsc 

1 cup milk or yogurt

1½ oz cheese 

Fat-free milk or buttermilk; fat-free, low-fat, or reducedfat cheese; fat-free/low-fat regular or frozen yogurt 

Major sources of calcium and protein 

Lean meats, poultry, and fish 

1 oz cooked meats, poultry, or fish

1 egg 

Select only lean; trim away visible fats; broil, roast, or poach; remove skin from poultry 

Rich sources of protein and magnesium 

Nuts, seeds, and legumes 

⅓ cup or

1½ oz nuts

2 Tbsp peanut butter

or ½ oz seeds

½ cup cooked legumes

(dried beans, peas) 

Almonds, filberts, mixed nuts, peanuts, walnuts, sunflower seeds, peanut butter, kidney beans, lentils, split peas 

Rich sources of energy, magnesium, protein, and fiber 

Fats and oils 

1 tsp soft margarine

1 tsp vegetable oil

1 Tbsp mayonnaise

2 Tbsp salad dressing 

Soft margarine, vegetable oil (canola, corn, olive, safflower), low-fat mayonnaise, light salad dressing 

The DASH study had 27% of calories as fat, including fat in or added to foods 

Sweets and added sugars

1 Tbsp sugar

1 Tbsp jelly or jam

½ cup sorbet, gelatin dessert 1 cup lemonade 

Fruit-flavored gelatin, fruit punch, hard candy, jelly, maple syrup, sorbet and ices, sugar 

Sweets should be low in fat 

 

 

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The DASH Eating Plan: A Key Component of a Heart-Healthy Lifestyle
 

The DASH eating plan is an essential part of maintaining a heart-healthy lifestyle. When combined with other lifestyle changes, such as regular physical activity, it can help you effectively manage your blood pressure and lower your LDL cholesterol levels for life.

To help prevent and control high blood pressure:

  • Be physically active.

  • Maintain a healthy weight.

  • Limit alcohol intake.

  • Manage and cope with stress. Other lifestyle changes can improve your overall health, such as:

  • If you smoke, quit.

  • Get plenty of sleep.
     

To foster lasting lifestyle changes, focus on making one adjustment at a time. Once you feel confident in adopting that change, you can introduce another. By incorporating multiple healthy habits into your routine, you increase your chances of achieving and maintaining healthy blood pressure and cholesterol levels. 

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Living with the DASH Eating Plan

Understanding the DASH eating plan is essential for starting and maintaining it as a lifelong habit.

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Controlling Daily Sodium and Calories

To reap the benefits of the proven DASH eating plan, it's crucial to limit daily sodium intake to 2,300 mg, or 1,500 mg if desired. Additionally, it's important to consume the right amount of calories to maintain a healthy weight or to lose weight if necessary.

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Ways to Control Sodium Levels

The key to reducing your sodium intake is to make healthier food choices when you shop, cook, and dine out.

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Tips for Lowering Sodium When Shopping, Cooking, and Eating Out

  1. Whole grains are recommended for most grain servings as a good source of fiber and nutrients.

  2. Serving sizes vary between ½ cup and 1¼ cups, depending on cereal type. Check the product's Nutrition Facts label.

  3. For lactose intolerance, try either lactase enzyme pills with dairy products or lactose-free or lactose-reduced milk.

  4. Fat content changes the serving amount for fats and oils. For example,
    1 Tbsp regular salad dressing = one serving;
    1 Tbsp low-fat dressing = one-half serving;
    1 Tbsp fat-free dressing = zero servings. 

Shopping 

Read food labels, and choose items that are lower in sodium and salt, particularly for convenience foods and condiments. *
 

  • Choose fresh poultry, fish, and lean meats instead of cured food such as bacon and ham.

  • Choose fresh or frozen versus canned fruits and vegetables.

  • Avoid food with added salt, such as pickles, pickled vegetables, olives, and sauerkraut.

  • Avoid instant or flavored rice and pasta. 

Cooking

Don’t add salt when cooking rice, pasta, and hot cereals.
 

  • Flavor your foods with salt-free seasoning blends, fresh or dried herbs and spices, or fresh lemon or lime juice.

  • Rinse canned foods or foods soaked in brine before using to remove the sodium.

  • Use less table salt to flavor food. 

Eating Out 

Ask that foods be prepared without added salt or MSG, commonly used in Asian foods.
 

  • Avoid choosing menu items that have salty ingredients such as bacon, pickles, olives, and cheese.

  • Avoid choosing menu items that include foods that are pickled, cured, smoked, or made with soy sauce or broth.

  • Choose fruit or vegetables as a side dish, instead of chips or fries. 

*Examples of convenience foods are frozen dinners, prepackaged foods, and soups; examples of condiments are mustard, ketchup, soy sauce, barbecue sauce, and salad dressings. Most of the sodium Americans eat comes from processed and prepared foods, such as breads, cold cuts, pizza, poultry, soups, sandwiches and burgers, cheese, pasta and meat dishes, and salty snacks. Therefore, healthier choices when shopping and eating out are particularly important. 

Ways to Control Calories 

To benefit from the DASH eating plan, it is important to consume the appropriate amount of calories to maintain a healthy weight. To help, read nutrition labels on food, and plan for success with DASH eating plan sample menus and other heart-healthy recipes. The DASH eating plan can be used to help you lose weight. To lose weight, follow the DASH eating plan and try to reduce your total daily calories gradually. Find out your daily calorie needs or goals with the Body Weight Planner external link and calorie chart. Talk with your doctor before beginning any diet or eating plan.

 

General tips for reducing daily calories include:

  • Eat smaller portions more frequently throughout the day.

  • Reduce the amount of meat that you eat while increasing the amount of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, or dry beans.

  • Substitute low-calorie foods, such as when snacking (choose fruits or vegetables instead of sweets and desserts) or drinking (choose water instead of soda or juice), when possible.

 

Increasing Daily Potassium

The DASH eating plan is designed to be rich in potassium, with a target of 4,700 mg of potassium daily, to enhance the effects of reducing sodium on blood pressure. The following are examples of potassium-rich foods. 

NHLBI meal planning tools and tips can help you follow the DASH eating plan to meet nutritional goals.

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Increasing Daily Potassium

The DASH eating plan is designed to be rich in potassium, with a target of 4,700 mg of potassium daily, to enhance the effects of reducing sodium on blood pressure. The following are examples of potassium-rich foods. 

 

Meal Planning Tools

The following tools can help you prepare and choose meals that meet the nutritional goals of the DASH eating plan.

• NHLBI In-Brief: Your Guide to Lowering Your Blood Pressure with DASH:

Contains a DASH log for tracking daily food and physical activity levels and a shopping and menu planner.

• Weekly DASH menus:

Provides sample daily DASH eating plan menus at 1,500 mg or 2,300 mg daily sodium levels. These menus are based on a 2,000-calorie-per-day diet, and suggested serving sizes may be adjusted if other daily calorie targets are desired.

• Heart-healthy recipes:

Provide additional ideas for menu planning.

 

Tips for Lifelong Success

When changing lifestyle habits, it's normal to slip off track occasionally. Here are some tips to help you get back on track:

Identify the Cause: Ask yourself why you got off track. Determine what triggered your setback, and then restart the DASH eating plan.

  • Don't Stress Over Setbacks: Everyone makes mistakes, especially when learning something new. Remember, changing your lifestyle is a long-term process, and it's natural to encounter obstacles along the way.

  • Make Gradual Changes: Avoid changing too much at once. When adopting a new lifestyle, try to implement slow, manageable changes, as they lead to long-term success.

  • Break Down Goals: Divide your goals into smaller, more attainable steps. This makes the process feel less overwhelming and helps you stay focused.

  • Keep a Log: Use the Daily DASH Log to track what you eat and what you're doing while eating. You may discover that you tend to eat unhealthy foods while watching television. If that's the case, consider keeping healthier snack alternatives on hand.

  • Celebrate Achievements: Instead of eating out to celebrate your accomplishments, opt for other enjoyable activities, such as a movie night, shopping, visiting a library or bookstore, or watching your favorite TV show. 

  • ​Following these tips can help you stay committed to your lifestyle changes and lead to lasting success.

 

Participate in NHLBI Clinical Trials.

The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) leads or sponsors many studies aimed at preventing, diagnosing, and treating heart, lung, blood, and sleep disorders.

Learn more about participating in a clinical trial.

View all trials from ClinicalTrials.gov external link.

Visit Children and Clinical Studies external link to hear experts, parents, and children talk about their experiences with clinical research. https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health-topics/dash-eating-plan  

 

Health Benefits of the DASH Eating Plan

Three NHLBI-funded trials showed the health benefits of the DASH diet, such as lowering high blood pressure and LDL (bad) cholesterol in the blood, and shaped the final DASH eating plan recommendations.

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Study Results

Three NHLBI-funded trials found the following health benefits of the DASH diet.

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DASH Trial Overview
 

The DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) trial involved 459 adults, some of whom had confirmed high blood pressure while others did not. The study compared three dietary approaches, all of which included a daily sodium intake of 3,000 mg:

 

1. Typical American diet

2. Typical American diet plus increased fruits and vegetables

3. DASH diet

 

None of these dietary plans were vegetarian or included specialty foods. After two weeks, participants who added fruits and vegetables to their typical American diet or those who followed the DASH diet experienced a reduction in blood pressure compared to those who only followed the typical American diet. Notably, participants on the DASH diet saw the most significant decrease in their high blood pressure levels.

 

Follow-up reports from the DASH trial indicated that, aside from lowering blood pressure, the DASH diet also reduced LDL cholesterol levels. Both high blood pressure and elevated LDL cholesterol are major risk factors for cardiovascular disease.

 
DASH-Sodium Trial

In this trial, 412 participants were randomly assigned to follow either a typical American diet or the DASH diet. While adhering to their assigned diet, participants were monitored for a month at a high daily sodium level of 3,300 mg, as well as two lower levels of 2,300 mg and 1,500 mg. The results showed that reducing daily sodium intake led to decreased blood pressure in participants on both diets. However, those following the DASH diet experienced lower blood pressure compared to those on a typical American diet. Blood pressure consistently decreased with each reduction in sodium intake. These findings indicate that lowering sodium intake while following the DASH diet is more effective for lowering blood pressure than following the DASH diet alone.

 

PREMIER Trial

The PREMIER trial included 810 participants who were placed into three groups to lower blood pressure, lose weight, and improve health. The groups included:

  • Advice-only group, did not receive counseling on behavior changes

  • Established treatment plan, including counseling for 6 months

  • Established treatment plan, plus counseling and use of the DASH diet


After six months, blood pressure levels decreased in all three groups. The two groups that received counseling and adhered to a treatment plan experienced more significant weight loss compared to the group that only received advice. Among them, participants who followed the DASH diet within the established treatment plan showed the greatest improvement in their blood pressure.

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