American Heart Association endorses DASH diet for a healthy heart: What is it?

Keeping your heart healthy is essential during these uncertain times. However, with so many popular diets available, it might be challenging to determine which is best for the body’s most vital organs. The American Heart Association has ranked ten diet plans based on which eating habits “promote heart health much better than others” in an effort to assist solve this issue. Let’s take a look. Also read: Explained: How healthy is your keto diet? DASH - Best diet for heart health The DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) diet has a flawless 100 rating from the AHA. In the DASH diet, foods high in potassium, calcium, magnesium, and fibre—such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean protein, and low-fat dairy—are strongly emphasised. Along with lean meat, poultry meat, fish, and non-tropical oils, this diet also includes whole grains, legumes, nuts, seeds, fruits, and vegetables. It also advises consuming little to no alcohol, added sugar, refined carbohydrates, fatty meats, salt, and saturated fats. The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute has also recognised the DASH diet as a flexible, balanced, and heart-healthy eating strategy to prevent hypertension, according to US News & World Report. The DASH diet is one of the Top Diets for 2023 as well. “This eating pattern is low in salt, added sugar, tropical oil, alcohol and processed foods and high in non-starchy vegetables, fruits, whole grains and legumes,” AHA said in a statement. Potential benefits Numerous advantages of the DASH diet include weight loss and a lower risk of developing cancer. Additionally, it reduces the risk of metabolic syndrome by up to 81 per cent. As studies indicate that it can improve insulin resistance, the diet has been associated with a lower risk of type two diabetes. A diet similar to the DASH can reduce stroke risk by 29 per cent. Also read: 5 common myths related to sugar that you may have heard of Pescatarian diet The “pescatarian diet,” which excludes meat and poultry but permits dairy, eggs, fish, and other seafood, is the other diet that complies with AHA recommendations. According to WebMD, eating less or no red meat reduces your risk of developing heart disease and high blood pressure. Additionally, two servings of fish per week could be beneficial for your heart. The report suggests a diet that prioritises fish, seafood, and plant-based meals may be beneficial for your health. Fish is a good source of protein, just like meat is. In contrast to red meat, it is low in saturated fat and frequently abundant in beneficial omega-3 fatty acids. Mediterranean diet The Mediterranean diet , which is 89 per cent in line with the AHA dietary recommendations, was rated third place. The main reason the well-known, award-winning diet received a lower score, according to lead author Christopher Gardner, a research professor of medicine at the Stanford Prevention Research Centre in California who also serves as the group’s director of nutrition studies, is that it doesn’t restrict salt intake and advises having a small glass of red wine each day. The American Heart Association advises against drinking alcohol if you haven’t already, Gardner said. And if they do, to only consume the barest minimum. Vegetarian diet The lacto-ovo-vegetarian diet, which allows dairy and eggs and versions that include one or the other, is 86 per cent consistent with AHA recommendations. You must restrict your intake of alcohol, refined carbohydrates, solid fats, meat, poultry, fish, and shellfish while on this diet. Also read: Less salt intake can lower risk of heart problems Other recommended diets Vegan diet (78 per cent) Low-fat diet (78 per cent) Very low-fat diet (72 per cent) Low-carb diet (64 per cent) Palaeolithic diet (53 per cent) Very low-carb/ketogenic diet (31 per cent) With inputs from agencies Read all the  Latest News ,  Trending News ,  Cricket News ,  Bollywood News , India News  and  Entertainment News  here. Follow us on  Facebook ,  Twitter  and  Instagram .