Does this popular diet reduce risk of hypertension and depression?

DASH diet or Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension is a diet that was developed to lower blood pressure without medication. This diet encourages you to reduce the sodium in your diet and eat a variety of foods rich in nutrients that help reduce blood pressure, such as potassium, magnesium and calcium.

According to the Mayo Clinic, by following the DASH diet, you may be able to reduce your blood pressure by a few points in just about two weeks. Over time, your systolic blood pressure could drop by eight to 14 points that can make a significant difference in your health risks. The DASH diet that includes eating healthy foods with high nutritional value does not only lower blood pressure but also prevents osteoporosis, cancer, heart disease, stroke and diabetes, as per the Mayo Clinic. According to the research, DASH diet could also reduce the risk of developing depression later in life. The popular diet, which is rich in vegetables, fruits, whole grains, fat-free or low-fat dairy products and few foods that are high in saturated fats and sugar may help in more than just reducing hypertension.

The DASH diet emphasizes vegetables, fruits and low-fat dairy products and moderate amounts of fish, whole grains, poultry and nuts. Moreover, this diet also has a lower standard version of the diet. According to the standard DASH diet, you can consume up to 2,300 milligrams of sodium per day and on the other hand, according to the lower sodium DASH diet, you can consume up to 1,500 milligram of sodium a day. Both the diets aim to reduce the amount of sodium in your diet.

DASH Diet: What To Eat?
Both versions of the diet can include whole grains, fresh fruits and vegetables and low-fat dairy products. The DASH diet also includes legumes, poultry and fish and also encourages small amount of nuts and seeds a few time a week. Basically, a DASH diet is low in saturated fat, total fat and cholesterol.