Friday, October 11, 2013

Is this diet for you?

As I mentioned in a previous post, I had to "live the diet" for one week.  I was assigned the DASH Diet for hypertension (high blood pressure).  On this diet, sodium and fat intake are reduced to minimum to relieve pressure in the arteries.  It sounds really simple, but for most people who live the Standard American Diet (SAD), this can be quite challenging because of all the processed and fast foods that are abundant in fat and sodium.  As for me, the hardest part was getting in 5 meals a day.  I'm the kind of person who likes 3 meals and maybe a snack in there.  I like to eat this way because it gives me boundaries, otherwise I would be eating all day, and I feel really good when I eat this way.  The DASH diet wants 5 meals that are all roughly the same amount of calories.  The theory behind this is to make sure that the body is getting enough fuel consistently throughout the day and will help you to lose weight (typically, those with hypertension are overweight, but not all).  Though I do believe this theory works, I also believe that constantly bombarding your digestive system with food and nutrients to breakdown is taxing on the body.  It takes a lot of energy to break down all that stuff, so giving your system a break every few hours can beneficial for longevity and long term health.

So, what do you think?  Could you survive a week trying the DASH Diet?  If so, leave a comment below and I can send you a meal plan or some other meal ideas.

Luana ola!

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