The Dash Diet - What Is It?

I've been reading a lot about the DASH diet lately and find it to be very similar to EATING HEALTHY! Surprise! They just seem to have labeled it the DASH diet. The principles of the diet are good - but really it's all about eating healthy and doing healthy things.

For me this is just another reason to be vegan! And I wouldn't call it a diet so much as a way of living. But if you need the structure of a diet to help you live well then you can check out the book at amazon --------->>>


Here is a good article I found on the DASH diet:


What is the DASH diet?

DASH stands for Dietary Approaches for Stopping Hypertension. It is a common term used by physicians all over the United States. Basically it involves a diet which consists of foods that have proven to lower high blood pressure, or hypertension. Of course, the DASH diet also calls for a minimization of foods that are well known to contribute to high blood pressure as well.

The DASH diet is not truly defined by any means, and therefore is broad in its various executions.

However, the guidelines that the DASH diet gives to people with hypertension have shown to enable them to lower their blood pressure in a matter of weeks, with drastic improvements for periods over six months of DASH dieting. This drastic improvement has led to its increased and continued usage of the DASH diet by physicians across the country.

The components of the DASH diet are very simple, and are easy to follow.

The major contributors to the lowering of participants' blood pressure are the fruits, vegetables, legumes, seeds, and nuts. The good cholesterol, fiber, and negative calories are all good components of a well balanced and healthy diet. Olive oil is also encouraged, and has shown to contribute lower blood pressures with studies throughout the Mediterranean countries and their inhabitants which use olive oil daily.

Another healthy change that the DASH diet brings to the average American diet are the low-fat items.

For instance, the DASH diet recommends low-fat dairy products and lean meats such as poultry and fish. Now, some fish contain more fats than others, so it is important for you to balance your intake between the two. Besides, the fattier fishes are actually more expensive on average! Finally, it is important for you to take in several whole grain products each day. Oatmeal for breakfast is a popular solution, as well as granola bars as between-meal snacks.

The most important step in the DASH diet is to minimize foods and items which contribute to high blood pressure.

The main contributors to hypertension are inactivity, excess sodium, excess alcohol, excess body weight, and inadequate magnesium, potassium, and calcium. If you also noticed, DASH diet foods are also foods that are recommended for weight loss diets. The reason that these foods are found in the DASH diet and in weight loss diets is due to the fact that most people with hypertension are usually overweight. The most effective treatment for hypertension, disclosed by most physicians, is weight loss.

One of the closest diets that you can compare to the DASH diet is the Vegan diet.

I was able to write an article recently, "Make The Vegetarian Diet Work For You", which explains the benefits and uses of Vegan foods towards your health. A lot of the foods that you see recommended in the DASH diet are also foods that are a part of the Vegan diet, which would explain the fact that Vegan's are very rarely diagnosed with hypertension.

Proper documentation on the DASH diet is available from your physician, as well as at several online dietary sources.

I would definitely recommend researching DASH diet foods and to start planning your daily diet around them immediately. The health benefits that you will see with the lowered blood pressure is important in the short term for better health and well-being, however it is critical in the long term. The DASH diet will help to extend your life due to your cardiovascular system's inability to operate for years under a higher pressure than what it is designed for. You also will be able to access dietary tips and extensive information at my website listed below. My free membership fitness tuning site focuses on dietary as well as fitness aspects in order to contribute towards a healthy lifestyle for people of all ages and body types.

Sebastian, John C. "Dash into the DASH Diet to Solve Hypertension." Dash into the DASH Diet to Solve Hypertension. 9 Jan. 2007 EzineArticles.com. 7 Jun. 2011 http://ezinearticles.com/?Dash-­into-­the-­DASH-­Diet-­to-­Solve-­Hypertension&id=413501

Juicing Preservatives!

I’ve been off of my juicing kick for quite a while but today I decided to start incorporating some juicing into my diet again. Especially because the farmers market is start to inspire me to get creative with raw and fresh food.

Today I made a quick spinach drink with a bunch of spinach, an apple, and some pineapple. That’s all that went in but it was enough! Super sweet and good!

Spinach was my main concern for the drink as lately my husband and I have been trying to add more green leafy vegetables to our diet.

On doing some research into spinach I realized that it was reported as being one of the top 12 most heavily contaminated produce products. Yikes! This just warrants another reason to grow your own food or buy organic.

It’s so hard to know what to buy and what to avoid when it comes to pesticides and other chemicals. It’s almost like they don’t want us to know what is in or on our food ;)

In any case I found an article that I found pretty informative and may be of interest to you if you are trying to avoid chemicals, preservatives and such in your diet. The 7 foods Experts Won’t Eat.

The point is to be aware of your food and what you are putting in your body as often as possible. Even with the best intentions you can pick a food that is heavily contaminated with chemicals and preservatives.

I try to live by the rule that everything is okay in moderation, but I also try to live by the rule - if there is a healthier option then take it!

Plant Based Diet - The China Study Tells All

The China Study: The Most Comprehensive Study of Nutrition Ever Conducted and the Startling Implications for Diet, Weight Loss and Long-term Health

If you have never heard of The China Study and you are interested in health awareness and how nutrition plays a part in it then you need to read this.

We first saw this guy on a health cruise we attended and he had us captivated from the beginning of his lecture to the end. His is the only book we bought, which was the china study, and we were glad we did in the end.

I think he was in his middle 70's at that time and he was amazingly healthy and young looking. Everything he said just made sense.

He's one of those guys where your head is constantly nodding up and down in agreement.

Our health cruise was full of vegan people and while I'm vegetarian and do eat and drink some milk products I know the implications of doing so which is why I'm striving to a vegan lifestyle.

His book is made up of researched facts and statistics that you and no one else will be able to argue.

He talks about cancer, obesity, diabetes, autoimmune diseases, and a whole host of other diseases and how nutrition plays the biggest part.

He talks about the right way to eat and what to eat and why a plant based diet is so good for you.

You need to read his book even if you are questionable about it because it provides many answers and solutions that are invaluable.

If you are concerned about your health or the health of someone else you will be in awe of The China Study.

Why Raw Food? Is a Raw Food Diet Healthy?

This past year we've been moving more and more towards a raw lifestyle. I think at first it may have been just because it would be a good way to lose weight but now it's because we've learned so much about the benefits of raw food. If you haven't read Never be sick again by Raymond Francis I strongly suggest it.

He was a sick man who discovered how food plays the biggest part in our sickness.


I know you may think that raw food is just vegetables and fruit - I know that's what I thought. But actually raw food is anything that is not cooked over 118 degrees Fahrenheit although I've also seen it at 105.


The benefits of a raw lifestyle are many. To summarize raw, or living food, offers your body nutrients that would be 'cooked out' of cooked food. The food is 'live' so it's essentially going into your body alive and adding to it's health. You have more energy, it's easy to maintain a healthy weight, you body can utilize everything that get's put in - basically everything in your body starts working the way it should.

(By the way a raw food diet for dogs is also great!)

So what can you eat on a raw food diet and does it lack taste?

There is tons to eat and it doesn't lack any taste at all. The only thing that changes is your perception on food. And believe me you will look at food in a whole new (but good) way. There are even raw desserts that will blow your mind. I personally like Ani's Raw Food Desserts: 85 Easy, Delectable Sweets and Treats. We have that at home and made cookies for Christmas that didn't last until Christmas.

If you want to learn the how, when, why, what of raw food then check out this really good resource on raw food:  Eating For Energy. 

This is just a small post on raw food and there is much too learn about it, how it can benefit you, and will you really survive without the overcooked and processed food you eat now...my Italian Mother in Law would have to say you can't but we know that you not only can - you thrive.

Top 5 Food Products To Pass Up For Healthier Eating

There are a lot of foods that we eat that have no benefit or value to us whatsoever. Most of these products we are learning about but some truths are still being kept in the dark from us and advertised as healthy. Try taking out these foods from your diet just for one week and see how much better you feel when the weeks is done.


1. Sugar – If you only make one change then let it be to get rid of sugar. Just a few teaspoons can have a significant hormonal and dietary impact for quite a few hours, which throws the body out of balance and into a state of biochemical confusion.

Calories from sugar are empty calories and sugar is in reality an anti-nutrient which means it interferes with the absorption of nutrients, so eating sugar takes essential nutrients away from your body. Because it’s an anti-nutrient it also causes calcium to be lost in the urine, forcing the body to remove calcium from the bones in order to keep the blood calcium levels normal.




2. White Flour – It contains almost no nutrition, is toxic and is an anti-nutrient just like sugar. In the process of creating white flour most of the nutrients are lost. That includes fiber which affects our bowel movements that would normally remove toxins from our body. So Therefore leaving toxins inside of us longer. Just to metabolize the flour many nutrients are stolen for your body to do so. Instead select whole grains like millet, oats, quinoa, spelt, barley, kamut and brown rice.



3. Processed Oils – When oils are heated at an extremely high temperature the Cis-fatty acid molecules change their shape, turning into a deadly class of fats called trans fats. The shape of trans-fats does not work properly for building cell membranes. These improperly shaped structures build a cell wall with holes in it. The cell membranes become leaky and brittle. Because of the way oils are processed, trans-fats are seen in pretty much in all oils sold in grocery stores including but not limited to, canola, corn, safflower, sunflower, cottonseed, and soybean oils like margarine and vegetable shortenings. Salad dressings, breakfast cereals (which also have BHT and BHA preservatives), chips, and fried foods all contain these oils. So keep your eyes open and read your packages.




4. Coffee – It’s another calcium thief. Coffee is acidic and contributes to over acidity in our diet. It changes the pH of our cells and requires calcium to be taken from tissues to neutralize the acidity. I know most people think they can’t get through the day without a coffee but If you’re already feeling better from drinking no coffee then you’ll have the extra energy to get through the day without it.





5. Milk – This one may be a shocker to most. Cow’s milk was meant for calves not humans. Cow’s milk has proteins and fats that are hard for people to digest. Metabolizing some of the fats in milk uses up essential fatty acids which can cause deficiencies. Yet another reason is that pasteurizing destroys nutrients and creates toxins. And as far as calcium goes cow’s milk does not supply nearly the amount that we’ve been told it does. The phosphorus in the milk prevents calcium absorption and it’s also low in magnesium which we need in order to utilize calcium. Are you stuffed up a lot? Try eliminating milk from your diet and see if you feel better. A lot of people are allergic to milk and don’t even know it.