Here is a concise summary of the DASH Diet text:
**What is the DASH Diet?**
* Stands for "Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension"
* Originally designed to reduce blood pressure, but also resolves other health issues
* Ranked as one of the best diets by doctors, with a 3.3/5 for weight loss effectiveness and 4.5/5 for health usefulness
**Key Principles:**
* Balanced nutrients and minerals (e.g., calcium, potassium, protein, fiber)
* Eat:
+ Fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean meats, and low-fat dairy
+ Cereals, seeds, beans, and nuts in moderation
* Limit/Avoid:
+ Salt (2-3 teaspoons/day)
+ Sugary foods (≤5 times/week)
+ Soda, alcohol, fast food, smoked/canned foods, and fatty meats
* Hydrate with 67 oz of fluids (water, green tea, or juice) per day
**Eating Plan:**
* 5-7 meals/day, with smaller portions
* Daily calorie intake: approximately 2000-2500 calories
* Sample serving sizes and frequencies provided for various food groups
**Benefits and Ease of Use:**
* Can aid in weight loss (average 9.5 lb loss in 1.5 years)
* Scored 3.4/5 for ease of followability (some difficulty resisting favorite treats)
* Offers many recipe options, but may require adjustments when eating out
Here are the key facts extracted from the text, keeping each fact a short sentence and omitting opinions:
**General Facts**
1. **DASH Diet Meaning**: DASH stands for Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension.
2. **Original Purpose**: The DASH Diet was developed specifically to reduce blood pressure in those with hypertension.
3. **Overall Effectiveness**: According to the National Institute of Health, the DASH Diet scored 3.3/5 in weight loss effectiveness and 4.5/5 in health usefulness out of 40 diets evaluated.
**Diet Details**
4. **Daily Fluid Intake**: Drink 67 ounces of fluids per day, ideally still water or green tea (limited to 4 cups a day).
5. **Eating Frequency**: Eat five times per day, with one serving being no more than 8.8 ounces.
6. **Daily Calorie Intake**: Limit daily calorie intake to around 2000 to 2500 calories.
7. **Sweet Food Limitation**: Limit sweet foods to no more than 5 times a week.
**Foods to Include**
8. **Cereals Servings**: No more than seven servings per day (e.g., one slice of bread, half a cup of cooked pasta).
9. **Fruit Servings**: No more than five servings a day (e.g., one fruit, a quarter cup of dried fruits).
10. **Vegetable Servings**: Five servings in a day (e.g., half a cup of steamed vegetables).
11. **Non-Fat Dairy Products**: Two to three servings per day (e.g., 1.8 ounces of cheese, five ounces of milk).
12. **Seeds, Beans, and Nuts**: Five servings a week (one serving is 1.4 ounces).
13. **Animal and Vegetable Fats**: Three servings per day (e.g., one teaspoon of olive or linseed oil).
14. **Protein Intake**: Seven ounces of lean meat, fish, or eggs a day is ideal.
**Foods to Avoid**
15. **Soda and Alcohol**: Avoid due to elevated blood pressure and harm to liver, heart, and brain.
16. **Fast Food, Chips, Smoked/Canned Food, Salami, Sausage, Fatty Meat, Candy, Cookies**: Avoid due to being unhealthy.
17. **Salt Intake**: Reduce to a maximum of two to three teaspoons a day.
**Weight Loss and Ease of Following**
18. **Weight Loss Study (2006)**: Participants on the DASH Diet lost an average of 9.5 pounds, outperforming other groups.
19. **Ease of Following**: Scored 3.4/5 in easiness to follow, according to the National Institute of Health.
20. **Restrictions**: Does not restrict entire food groups, offering flexibility.