For the past three years, health and wellness experts have named the DASH diet as the best for helping you lose weight and enhance your overall health. On his Feb. 19 show, Dr. Mehmet Oz explained why he agrees that this diet - which can boost your weight loss, reduce your cholesterol and lower your cancer risk - deserves the title of number one best overall diet. Learn more about why you might want to dash for the DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) diet here, from weight loss success to reducing your risk of osteoporosis, cancer, heart disease, stroke and diabetes.
Renowned DASH diet expert and dietician Marla Heller, author of "The Dash Diet Weight Loss Solution: 2 Weeks to Drop Pounds, Boost Metabolism, and Get Healthy" and "The DASH Diet Action Plan: Proven to Boost Weight Loss and Improve Health," joined Dr. Oz on his Feb. 19 show to explain how you can use this easy-to-follow plan to enhance your weight, your health and your life (you can get her book now by clicking here). Here are the keys to consider:
- Motivation: The DASH diet promotes weight loss while reducing your risk of chronic diseases such as diabetes and hypertension. U.S. News & World Report's health experts ranked the DASH diet as the best diet because of its “nutritional completeness, safety, ability to prevent or control diabetes, and role in supporting heart health.”
- Flexibility: You'll enjoy fruits, veggies, low-fat dairy and whole grains on the plan, with limited amounts of fish and poultry. The resulting food plan makes it easy to follow at home, at work and even in restaurants. Have a birthday party? You can even enjoy small amounts of sweets, but keep them to a minimum and go for fat-free when possible. Portion size plays a role, and Marla explains the specifics of how much you can enjoy in each food group in her DASH diet book.
- Enhanced permanent health: By making the DASH diet a lifestyle, you can improve your overall health. One key to following this plan is to reduce your sodium consumption, which in turn has been shown to reduce blood pressure, thereby helping prevent strokes and other concerns linked to hypertension.
- Talk your health care provider: If you're interested in following the diet, consider getting a copy of the book (get Marla's "The Dash Diet Weight Loss Solution: 2 Weeks to Drop Pounds, Boost Metabolism, and Get Healthy" book now by clicking here) and taking it to your doctor, to make sure that you have personalized input on the plan. Your doctor also can help you determine how many calories you should consume each day, because the plan may range from 1,600 calories to 3,100 calories based on the plan and individual.
