Introduction 1 About This Book 2 Foolish Assumptions 3 Icons Used in This Book 3 Beyond the Book 4 Where to Go from Here 4 Part 1: Getting Started with the DASH Diet 5 Chapter 1: What is DASH? 7 Understanding the DASH Difference 8 Exploring the origins of DASH 8 Recognizing why DASH isn''t just another trendy diet 9 DASH: A Dietary Prescription for a Healthier Lifestyle 11 The basic dietary guidelines 11 The most powerful lifestyle changes 13 Preparing for Success with DASH 16 Choosing foods that support your health 16 Creating lifestyle changes that stick 18 A DASH of Caution 18 Chapter 2: The DASH Diet and Wellness: What Scientists Know 21 Exploring the Science behind the Diet 22 Setting up the study 22 Conducting the research 23 Analyzing the results 24 Responding to America''s Salt Obsession and Addressing Controversies 25 Omni-Heart: A Variation on the DASH Theme 27 DASH: Wellness through Optimal Nutrition 28 Chapter 3: Improving Your Overall Health 31 Fighting the Silent Killer: Hypertension 31 Why blood pressure matters 32 How DASH can help 33 DASH and Cholesterol 34 Why cholesterol matters 34 How DASH can help 36 Battling the Bulge 36 Why weight matters 36 How DASH can help 37 Fighting Diabetes 38 Why diabetes matters 38 How DASH can help 39 Tackling Cancer 40 Why cancer matters 41 How DASH can help 41 Chapter 4: Gearing Up for a DASH Lifestyle 43 Setting Yourself Up for a DASHing Success 44 More of This, Less of That 45 Increasing the quantity of fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, and beans 46 Decreasing the amount of saturated fat, cholesterol, and sodium 48 Creating Goals for Dietary Change 49 Being SMART 49 Tracking your progress 53 Planning around Obstacles 54 Chapter 5: Presenting Your DASH Nutrition Primer 57 Revealing Where Sodium Hides 57 Processed foods 58 Table salt alternatives 61 Figuring Out How Much Sodium You Really Need 61 Reducing Your Salt Intake by Retraining Your Taste Buds 62 Stepping away from the salt shaker 62 Employing table salt substitutes 63 Examining the DASH Diet Framework 64 2 to 3 servings of low-fat dairy 64 4 to 5 servings of vegetables 68 4 to 5 servings of fruit 69 6 to 8 servings of grains 71 Small servings of better fats 72 2 servings of lean proteins 73 4 to 5 servings of nuts, seeds, and legumes 74 Part 2: DASHing toward Better Health 75 Chapter 6: Taking Charge of Hypertension 77 A Crash Course in Cardiology 78 Zeroing In on Blood Pressure Basics 79 Figuring out what those numbers indicate 80 Understanding high blood pressure readings 81 Distinguishing between Primary and Secondary Hypertension 82 Examining the Factors That Contribute to Primary Hypertension Risk 84 Diet 85 Obesity 85 Exercise 86 Smoking 86 Alcohol 88 Stress 88 Family history 89 Age 89 Exploring the Medical Treatments for Hypertension 90 Reducing Your Risk of Hypertension with DASH 92 Chapter 7: Reducing the Risk of Heart Disease and Stroke 95 Introducing the Cholesterol Component of Cardiovascular Disease 96 Understanding how plaque happens 96 Breaking down the ideal numbers 96 Getting Acquainted with Matters of the Heart 98 Palpitations: Heart rhythms gone haywire 98 Heart attack: When the flow of oxygen-rich blood gets blocked 100 Heart failure: When the heart can''t keep up 102 Stroke, Otherwise Known as a "Brain Attack" 103 Sifting through the facts on strokes 104 Acting FAST if you suspect a stroke 105 Fighting Heart Disease and Stroke with DASH 106 Chapter 8: Maintaining a Healthy Weight 107 Understanding the True Effect of Excess Weight on Your Health 108 Diabetes 108 Hypertension 108 High cholesterol, heart disease, and stroke 109 Lung disease 109 Intestinal issues 110 Reproductive issues 110 Arthritis 111 Cancer 112 Mental health issues 112 Figuring Out whether You''re Overweight 112 Determining your body mass index 113 Measuring waist circumference 115 Who''s at Risk for Obesity? 115 Eating Your Way to a Healthy Weight with DASH 116 Losing weight 116 Maintaining a healthy weight 117 Chapter 9: Reducing Diabetes Risk 119 Digging into Diabetes 119 Pre-diabetes 121 Metabolic syndrome 122 Examining the Not-So-Obvious Downsides of Diabetes 124 Determining Your Risk for Diabetes 125 Watching for the Signs That You Have Diabetes 126 Treating Diabetes 127 Lifestyle 127 Pills 127 Shots 128 DASH and Diabetes: A Perfect Prescription 128 Chapter 10: Keeping Yourself Healthy from Head to Toe 131 Realizing How Food Affects Your Brain 131 Breaking down brain fog 132 Mulling over mild cognitive impairment 133 Bettering your brain function with DASH 133 Maintaining Healthy Kidney Function 134 Getting a grip on normal kidney function 135 Discovering how hypertension impairs kidney health 136 Creating balance with DASH 138 Reducing Cancer Risk 139 What you should know about cancer 139 DASH as cancer prevention 141 Understanding Diet and Healthy Aging 144 Frailty 144 Bone health 144 Part 3: Enjoying Life the DASH Way 145 Chapter 11: Adopting the DASH Diet 147 Creating a Change-Driven Plan of Attack 147 Easing Tasty, DASH-Friendly Foods into Your Diet 148 Sneaking in fruits and vegetables 149 Enjoying vegetables in new ways 150 Going beyond plain ol'' milk to get your daily dairy 152 Surveying Common Obstacles 153 Forgetting about liquid calories 153 Craving junk food 154 Meeting resistance within your household 155 Presenting a Sample 14-Day Meal Plan 156 Day 1 156 Day 2 157 Day 3 158 Day 4 159 Day 5 159 Day 6 160 Day 7 161 Day 8 162 Day 9 163 Day 10 163 Day 11 164 Day 12 165 Day 13 165 Day 14 166 Chapter 12: DASHing Successfully through the Grocery Store 167 Getting Organized before You Go 168 Deciphering the Many Details and Claims on Food Packaging 169 Analyzing the Nutrition Facts label 170 Vetting nutrient claims 175 Focusing on the Perimeter of the Store for Wholesome Food Choices 177 Checking out the produce aisle 177 Sorting through the bread and grains 179 Protein pointers 180 Browsing the dairy case 181 Choosing wisely in the freezer section 182 Buying fats and oils 183 Treading Carefully in the Center Aisles 184 Heading Home and Storing Your Food with Care 186 Chapter 13: Setting Up a DASH-Friendly Kitchen 187 Creating a Healthy Pantry 188 Pantry staples 188 Refrigerator staples 189 Freezer staples 190 Arming Yourself with the Right Kitchen Supplies 191 Cookware basics 192 Essential knives 193 Helpful kitchen tools and storage supplies 194 Infusing More Flavor into Food -- without Salt 198 Spice blends 198 Coulis 199 Salsas 199 Making Over Recipes So You Can Indulge without Guilt 200 Changing cooking methods 201 Modifying ingredients 202 Chapter 14: DASH Meal-Planning Strategies 207 Getting a Grip on How Meal Planning Works 207 Using MyPlate to plan DASH-friendly meals 210 Putting portions into perspective 212 Starting the Day off Right 214 Grab-and-go breakfasts 215 Make-ahead morning fixings 216 Packing Your Lunch to Avoid the Takeout Trap 217 Embracing the bento box 217 Going beyond PB&J 218 Taking Shortcuts to Dinnertime 219 Prepping ingredients ahead of time 219 Stocking up on freezer-friendly staples 220 Putting your slow cooker or Instant Pot to work 223 Cooking in batches 224 Making one-pot meals 225 Livening up leftovers 225 Chapter 15: Dining Out and Traveling on DASH 227 Dining Out with DASH, Generally Speaking 227 Share and share alike 229 Finding the Healthy Options at Various Types of Restaurants 229 Sit-down restaurants 229 Fast food places 230 Ethnic options 231 Planning Ahead to Follow DASH on the Road 232 Travel tips to help you stick to your goals 232 Simple portable snacks 233 Chapter 16: Adopting Everyday Lifestyle Changes 235 Remembering That the Rat Race Isn''t Really a Race 236 Getting enough quality sleep 236 Savoring your food rather than scarfing it down 237 Practicing mindfulness in your everyday life 238 Coping with Stress 239 Exercising regularly 241 Connecting the mind and body with yoga 241 Meditating 242 Calling on Your Support System 244 Figuring out how family and friends can help 244 Enlisting an exercise partner 245 Sticking to the DASH Plan 246 <.