Dash Diet 2021 Dash Diet for Beginners Book with 21 Day Meal Plan: Low Sodium Cookbook with Quick and Easy Low Sodium Recipes to Lower Your Blood Pressure AMZ Publishing Table of Contents 1. Introduction 2. DASH Diet 3. What is the DASH diet? 4. Benefits of the DASH diet 5. 21-Day Meal Plan 6. Green Morning Smoothie 7. Breakfast Pumpkin Smoothie 8. Warm Cinnamon Quinoa 9. Coconut-Blueberry-Coffee Breakfast Cake Bars 10. Apple Slice Sandwich 11. Oatmeal and Banana Muffins 12. Mushroom and Spinach Quiche 13. Mexican Breakfast Egg Scramble 14. Breakfast Oatmeal Pancakes Topped with Maple Fruit 15. Roasted Sweet Potato and Kale Hash 16. Egg and Spinach Scramble Topped with Raspberries 17. Morning Yogurt and Fruit Smoothie 18. Muesli Topped with Raspberries 19. Green Pineapple Smoothie 20. Easy-Peasy Oats 21. Blackened Shrimp and Avocado Tacos 22. Quinoa, Veggie, and Chicken Bowl 23. Pasta and Broccoli Salad 24. Chickpeas with Eggs and Peppers 25. Black Bean Salad 26. Quinoa and Chipotle Chicken Burrito Bowl 27. Greek Mezze Meatball Bowls 28. Mushroom and Zucchini Sauté 29. Orzo Salad with Mediterranean Chicken 30. White Bean, Cucumber, and Tomato Salad 31. Curried Peanut and Sweet Potato Soup 32. Roasted Pepper and Tuna Pasta 33. Brussels Sprouts and Shredded Chicken 34. Creamy Chicken Salad With Pesto and Greens 35. Sweet Potato (stuffed) Served with Hummus Dressing 36. Chicken Cutlets Topped with Creamy Sun-Dried Sauce 37. Lemon Potatoes and Chicken with Kale 38. Chicken and Mushrooms in Creamy Sauce 39. Roasted Chicken Fajitas 40. Coconut Chickpea Creamy Curry 41. Chicken-Asparagus Bake 42. Garlic Roasted Brussels Sprouts and Salmon 43. Creamy Mushroom Linguine 44. Stuffed Peppers 45. White Beans Served with Eggs, Fennel, and Pancetta 46. Spaghetti with Ricotta and Broccoli 47. Conclusion Introduction The focus of this cookbook is to provide DASH diet recipes that are easy to understand and that can be prepared easily and quickly. The last decade has witnessed an exponential increase in the number of people opting to go for the DASH diet method. The Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (also known as DASH) diet is becoming a household name because more people are realizing the potential of this diet to control hypertension and high blood sugar. The DASH diet typically includes foods that are rich in potassium, calcium, and magnesium and that are low in sodium. The diet also asks the person to stay away from carbonated drinks, processed carbohydrates, and sugar. Given the present lifestyle, it is not uncommon to get exhausted and fall for an unhealthy diet. This has led to the rise in young adults contracting diabetes and blood sugar ailments. Heart-related problems that were earlier seen in older people now have found a new host among people in their early thirties. This has greatly increased the need to find avenues to go back to healthy living. Thus, a lot of people are now planning to use the DASH diet as one of the methods to curtail such ailments. This cookbook is the best supplement you will find to counter rising blood sugar and hypertension. The cookbook is a result of extensive research that helped us zero in on recipes that are easy to make and use ingredients commonly found in the kitchen. The book aims to not only advise the expert but also help a beginner follow the recipes, which are written in a simple and self-explanatory method. The book provides a vast menu spread over 21 days. This includes recipes for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, helping you manage the entire month. The 21-day meal plan in the book was well-thought-out and created considering the busy lifestyles of people. The meals also align with the daily nutritional requirements of the body and ensure that the person does not miss any essential supplements. The meal plan helps you track your growth and manage meals. If you have someone to cook for you, all they need to do is follow the meal plan and avoid the hassle of calculating calorie intake. People who cannot indulge in daily cooking activities can simply prepare extra food and let it sit in the refrigerator. This will not only save you time but also prevent you from digressing from the meal plan. Moreover, the reader can plan and store food as per their convenience. Great effort has been put into listing recipes that will not only help you manage the calorie count but also not compromise on the taste of the food. Often, people planning to control blood sugar focus on food that is plain and tasteless. While a few can keep themselves on such a routine, most of us simply give up in the absence of taste. The recipes in the book aim to boost your health while allowing you to enjoy different foods. The DASH diet recipes in the book will help you control your blood sugar and let you enjoy the entire process, probably for the first time. DASH Diet With more people suffering from conditions related to high blood pressure, the DASH diet offers a unique solution that is both scientifically- and results-proven. The last decade has seen a major rise in cases related to high blood pressure with over a billion people worldwide dealing with conditions pertaining to blood pressure levels. This constant rise has made the DASH diet one of the most effective ways to deal with this situation. What is the DASH diet? Endorsed by the United States National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, the DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) diet studies the nutrient composition of food items to prepare unique dietary strategies that help to reduce high blood pressure. The diet is a result of the engineering done by bio-scientists and lawmakers to find the components that must be eliminated from one's diet to control the rise of blood pressure. The DASH diet came about because the number of people complaining of high blood pressure almost doubled in the last two decades. This led medical experts, along with the United States Department of Health and Human Services, to find ways to deal with hypertension and eliminate the various risks that are associated with high blood pressure. After a careful study, the researchers found that people who prefer to consume more vegetables or who followed a plant-based diet showed fewer signs and cases of rising blood pressure. This, therefore, became the foundation of the DASH diet. In the DASH diet, the person focuses on consuming foods that are non- processed and more organic. Whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and lean meats form the essential components of this diet technique. In extreme cases, the person showing major signs of heart-related ailments due to high blood pressure is also advised to go vegan for some time to lower issues related to hypertension. The diet also follows a strict method of using salt. Because too much salt and oil significantly raise the blood pressure in the human body, the dietary guidelines of the DASH diet significantly reduce the intake of salt. The recipes in the DASH diet are a wholesome mix of green vegetables, natural fruits, low-fat dairy foods, and lean protein such as chicken, fish, and a lot of beans. Besides limiting the intake of salt, the rule of thumb is to minimize food items rich in red meat, processed sugars, and composite fat. As per the standard practice, anyone following the DASH diet is advised to not consume more than 1 teaspoon (2,300 mg) of sodium in a day. The diet is safe to follow and is also accredited by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). The US Dietary Guidelines also included the DASH diet as one of three healthy diets recommended in 2015-2020. Benefits of the DASH diet The benefits of the DASH diet go beyond reducing hypertension and heart ailments. Controlling blood pressure: The force exerted on our blood vessels and organs when the blood passes through them is a measure of blood pressure in the human body. When the blood pressure increases beyond a certain level, it can lead to various bodily malfunctions, including heart failure. Blood pressure is counted in two numbers: systolic pressure (pressure exerted in the blood vessels when the heart beats) and diastolic pressure (pressure exerted in the blood vessels when the heart is at rest). The normal blood systolic pressure in adults is below 120 mmHg, while the diastolic pressure is typically below 80 mmHg. Anyone over these limits is said to be suffering from high blood pressure. The restriction of sodium intake and reliance on vegetables, healthy fat, lean meat, and fruits in the DASH diet greatly controls blood pressure. In fact, the lower one’s salt intake, the lower one’s blood pressure. Effective use of the DASH diet can control the systolic blood pressure by an average change of 12 mmHg and can control the diastolic blood pressure by 5 mmHg. The DASH diet is not reserved for people suffering from hypertension; it can also work well for people with normal blood pressure. The trick is to consume normal amounts of salt along with the dietary recommendations given in the DASH diet. Weight loss: People with high blood pressure are advised to maintain their weight, as extra weight may translate into health complications. Obesity along with high blood pressure can lead to heart and organ failure. With the help of the DASH diet, one can lower their blood pressure while also lowering their weight. The credit for this goes to the healthy foods recommended in the DASH diet. The person is advised to cut down on their daily calorie count to lose weight. Further, the DASH diet has shown signs of other health benefits: Fights cancer risk: People on the DASH diet have a lower risk of colorectal and breast cancers. Checks metabolic syndrome: The diet reduces the risk of metabolic syndrome. Controls diabetes: The diet is very beneficial for people with type 2 diabetes. Heart diseases: The diet reduces the risk of heart disease and stroke.