Cooking For The DASH Diet
These DASH diet recipes are an easy an delicious way of getting started on a DASH diet. They will give you a good idea of how to construct your meals for a typical DASH Diet plan, with examples for breakfast, lunch and dinners.
What is the DASH Diet?
Hypertension, the medical term used to identify high blood pressure, affects millions of people around the world and is commonly treated by a range of antihypertensives. A clinically proven approach to lower blood pressure is the DASH diet. The term DASH stands for Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension. The DASH diet is based upon extensive research conducted by the National Heart Lung & Blood Institute, which found in trials that a diet focused on vegetables, fruits, whole grains, low-fat dairy, and lean proteins significantly and quickly lowers blood pressure. The results of the studies have shown that the DASH diet can also help lower cholesterol and when accompanied with weight loss can reduce insulin resistance. On a long term basis it reduces the risk of stroke and heart disease as well as providing protection against osteoporosis and cancer. In January 2018 the DASH diet was ranked the “best overall” diet by U.S. News and World Report.
The DASH Diet Plan
The table below gives you a brief overview of how much of each food group an individual on a 2000 calorie DASH diet eating plan needs to consume. You can use this table as a basis for creating DASH diet recipes by including a selection of these ingredients in your daily meals.
| Food Group | Serving | Examples | Benefits |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Wholegrains |
6-8 per day |
oatmeal, whole meal bread, cereals |
|
|
Fruits and Vegetables |
4-6 per day |
broccoli, collards, spinach, beans, tomatoes |
Potassium, magnesium and fiber |
|
Fat free or low fat dairy |
3-4 per day |
low fat milk, yoghurt and cheese |
Calcium, potassium, magnesium and protein |
|
Lean Meats, poultry and fish |
2 or less per day |
lean cuts of meat, preferably white meat and fish |
Protein and magnesium |
|
Nuts, seeds and beans |
4-5 per week |
kidney beans, walnuts, sunflower seeds, lentils, almonds |
Magnesium, potassium, protein and fiber |
|
Fats and Oils |
2-3 per day |
olive and canola oil, avocados |
Essential fats |
DASH Diet Recipes
Overnight Oats
Ingredients
- 1/2 Cup Oats
- 1/2 Cup low-fat yogurt
- 1/2 Cup Low-fat milk
- 2 Teaspoons Chia seeds
- 1/4 Cup blueberries
- 1/4 Cup Raspberries
Method
Add oats to a bowl, pour in milk, add low-fat yogurt, and sprinkle in chia seeds. Add in berries. Place in fridge and and leave overnight for a creamy delicious porridge the next morning.
Healthy Crustless Veggie Quiche
Ingredients
- 2 Cups chopped spinach
- 1 Cup chopped butternut squash
- 1 chopped red bell pepper
- 1 tspn crushed garlic
- 1 tspn dried mixed herbs
- 3 eggs
- 3 egg whites
- 3/4 Cup low-fat milk
- Crushed black pepper to taste
- 1/2 Cup reduced fat cheddar cheese
Method
Saute vegetables in a non-stick pan with garlic and herbs until tender. Layer veggies at the bottom of a pie pan. In a bowl, thoroughly whisk together eggs and egg whites, milk, and pepper and pour into the pan over the veggies. Sprinkle grated cheese on top. Bake for 45 minutes at 180 degrees Celsius, or until crust is golden. Slice up and enjoy!
Healthy Whole Wheat Oat Pancakes
Ingredients
- 2/3 cup oats
- 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
- 1/2 cup plain flour
- 1 tblspn baking powder
- 1 cup fat-free milk
- 1 egg
- 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
Method
Mix together all ingredients in a bowl to make the pancake batter. To make the pancakes pour 1/4 cup of the batter at a time onto a non-stick griddle sprayed lightly with an olive oil spray. Flip the pancakes over when they begin to bubble. Enjoy with a serving of your favourite chopped-up fruit and a drizzle of honey.
Wholegrain Turkey Sandwich
Ingredients
- 2 slices whole grain bread
- 100g sliced turkey breast
- Lettuce leaves
- Tomato slices
- Sliced red onion
- 1 tspn fat-free mayonaise
Method
Spread one slice of wholegrain bread with the mayonnaise, then layer with lettuce leaves, turkey slices, tomato and onion. Finish off with another layer of lettuce and top with another slice of bread. Cut in half and enjoy!
Black Bean & Pumpkin Stew
Ingredients
- 1 Cup chopped onion
- 1 tblspn olive oil
- 1 tspn crushed garlic
- 1 can diced tomatoes
- 1 tspn cumin powder
- 1/2 tspn tumeric powder
- 1/2 tspn red chilli powder
- 1 can black beans
- 4 cups Vegetable Stock
- 3 Cups chopped pumpkin pieces
- Fat-free sour cream for garnish
- Chopped coriander for garnish
Method
Saute onions in olive oil until pink in colour, then stir in crushed garlic. Add diced tomatoes, cumin, tumeric and chilli powder. Cook until tomatoes begin to soften, then add black beans and vegetable stock. Add pumpkin pieces and cook until tender. Serve in bowls and garnish with a dollop of fat-free sour cream and chopped coriander.
Apple Walnut Salad With Lime Zest
Ingredients
- 2 apples cored and thinly sliced
- 1/2 Cup of chopped toasted walnuts
- Handful of thinly sliced chives
- Handful of chopped parsley leaves
- 1/4 Cup fresh lime juice
- 1 tspn grated lime zest
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1/4 cup grated low fat cheddar cheese
- 1 tblspn extra virgin olive oil
- 1 cup bread croutons
- Red chilli flakes for garnish
Method
In a large bowl mix apples, walnuts, chives, parsley, croutons, lime juice and zest, olive oil and black pepper. Toss together and then arrange on a plate. Garnish with cheese and red chilli flakes.
Delicious easy to prepare DASH diet recipes for dinner.
Black Bean Tacos
Ingredients
- 2 Cups diced grilled chicken. (A store-bought rotisserie chicken will do fine, or else you can freshly grill or roast some chicken in the oven)
- 1/2 Cup canned sweetcorn kernels, rinsed and drained
- 1 Cup black beans
- 2 Cups diced avocado
- Juice of 1 Lime
- 1/2 cup bottled tomato salsa
- 6 Taco shells
Method
Stand taco shells on a tray and warm in an oven. In the meantime, combine the chicken, sweetcorn, black beans, tomato salsa and avocado in a bowl. Squeeze juice of a lime over the mixture. Spoon the filling into the shells when ready. Serve and eat immediately.
Tandoori Chicken Skewers
Ingredients
- 500g chicken breast fillet diced into 3cm cubes
- 3/4 cup low-fat yoghurt
- 2 tspns olive oil
- 1 tspn tandoori powder
- 1 tspn red chilli powder
- 1 tspn cumin powder
- 1 tspn crushed garlic
- 1 tspn crushed ginger
Method
Mix yoghurt, olive oil and spices in a bowl. Add diced chicken pieces and leave to marinate for two hours. Thread the chicken pieces onto skewers. Grill over a charcoal barbeque fire and serve hot with a side salad of leafy greens.
Lemon Chicken Potato Casserole
Ingredients
- 500g potatoes, thinly sliced.
- 500g chicken breast diced into 2cm cubes.
- 1 lemon thinly sliced.
- 2 cans cream of mushroom soup
- 1/2 cup low fat milk
- 1 tspn crushed garlic
- 1 onion thinly sliced
- Chopped parsley for garnish
- Freshly crushed black pepper to season.
Method
Mix chicken, onion, garlic and potatoes in a large casserole dish. Mix soup and milk together and bring to a boil on the stove top. Pour soup over the chicken mixture. Insert lemons slices in between the chicken and potato mixture at intervals. Season with black pepper. Cover with aluminium foil and bake in oven at 220 deg Celsius for an hour until potatoes are tender. Remove foil and set oven to grill. Leave for 3-5 mins until the top is crisp. Sprinkle parsley as a garnish and serve hot.
In conclusion, these DASH diet recipes can give you a good start on experimenting with ingredients and meals that will help you reduce blood pressure and make you healthier.