Pennington Biomedical Research Center’s DASH Diet is once again ranked the best overall diet for healthy eating according to U.S. News and World Report.
DASH has been around since the 90s and Director of Dietary Assessment Dr. Catherine Champagne says it’s stood the test of time because it’s easy to commit to and easy to keep.
“DASH and the Mediterranean diet are diets that you can subscribe to for a lifestyle, for a long time, in other words making them a lifestyle,” said Champagne.
Dash also came in first for a most heart-healthy diet, second for best diet overall, third for best diet for diabetes, and fifth for easiest diet to follow. The diet has ranked in the top five overall for the publication for years.
Champagne says DASH was developed to lower blood pressure and address hypertension. To do that it packs in a ton of nutrient-dense, calorie low health foods.
“We know that it emphasizes foods that we have always been told to eat like fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean protein, and low fat dairy,” said Champagne.
A majority of a plate of a DASH friendly dinner is covered in vegetables and fruits, with some complex carbs like brown rice and a small serving of lean protein like fish or chicken.
The diet calls for two major changes from the way most people eat: notably lower salt and red meat consumption.
“If you want to have a steak, sure, you can have a steak, but don’t have it that often and try to buy the leanest meats,” said Champagne.
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