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Healthy Eating
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Getting Started with DASH
It's easy to adopt the DASH eating plan. Here are some ways to get started:
Change gradually.
If you now eat one or two vegetables a day, add a serving at lunch and another at dinner.
If you don't eat fruit now or have only juice at breakfast, add a serving to your meals or have it as a snack.
Use only half the butter, margarine, or salad dressing you do now.
Try lowfat or fat free condiments, such as fat free salad dressings.
Gradually increase dairy products to three servings per day. For example, drink milk with lunch or dinner, instead of soda, alcohol, or sugar-sweetened tea. Choose lowfat (1 percent) or fat free (skim) dairy products to reduce total fat intake.
Treat meat as one part of the whole meal, instead of the focus.
Buy less meat. If it's not there, you won't eat it.
Limit meat to 6 ounces a day (two servings)--all that's needed. Three to four ounces is about the size of a deck of cards.
If you now eat large portions of meat, cut them back gradually--by a half or a third at each meal.
Include two or more vegetarian-style (meatless) meals each week.
Increase servings of vegetables, rice, pasta, and dry beans in meals. Try casseroles and pasta, and stir-fry dishes, having less meat and more vegetables, grains, and dry beans.
Use fruits or lowfat foods as desserts and snacks.
Fruits and lowfat foods offer great taste and variety. Use fruits canned in their own juice. Fresh fruits require little or no preparation. Dried fruits are easy to carry with you.
Try these snack ideas: unsalted pretzels or nuts mixed with raisins; graham crackers; lowfat and fat free yogurt and frozen yogurt; plain popcorn with no salt or butter added; and raw vegetables.
Healthier Eating with DASH
The DASH Eating Plan
The DASH eating plan shown below is based on 2,000 calories a day. The number of daily servings in a food group may vary from those listed depending on your caloric needs.
| Food Group | Daily Servings (except as noted) | Serving Sizes |
|---|---|---|
| Grains & grain products | 7-8 | 1 slice bread 1 cup ready-to-eat cereal* 1/2 cup cooked rice, pasta, or cereal |
| Vegetables | 4-5 | 1 cup raw leafy vegetable 1/2cup cooked vegetable 6 ounces vegetable juice |
| Fruits | 4-5 | 1 medium fruit 1/4cup dried fruit 1/2 cup fresh, frozen, or canned fruit 6 ounces fruit juice |
| Lowfat or fat free dairy foods | 2-3 | 8 ounces milk 1 cup yogurt 1 1/2 ounces cheese |
| Lean meats, poultry, and fish |
2 or less | 3 ounces cooked lean meats, skinless poultry, or fish |
| Nuts, seeds, and dry beans | 4-5 per week | 1/3 cup or 1 1/2ounces nuts 1 tablespoon or 1/2 ounce seeds 1/2 cup cooked dry beans |
| Fats & oils** | 2-3 | 1 teaspoon soft margarine 1 tablespoon lowfat mayonnaise 2 tablespoons light salad dressing 1 teaspoon vegetable oil |
| Sweets | 5 per week | 1 tablespoon sugar 1 tablespoon jelly or jam 1/2 ounce jelly beans 8 ounces lemonade |
* Serving sizes vary between cup -1 cups. Check the product's nutrition label.
** Fat content changes serving counts for fats and oils: For example, 1 tablespoon of regular salad dressing equals 1 serving; 1 tablespoon of a lowfat dressing equals serving; 1 tablespoon of a fat free dressing equals 0 servings.
