
It can also be used to support digestion and help treat a sluggish gut (9). Hawthorn (or Crataegus pinnatifida) is good for maintaining heart health (8), but that’s not all. Here are a few ideas to help you choose from the many supplements available. Many plants and compounds play a role in maintaining a healthy cardiovascular system. Which supplements should you take to help look after your heart?Ĭaring for your heart and arteries can also encompass supplementation. Wholemeal pasta with tomato and fresh herb sauce.Raw vegetables with vinaigrette (grated carrot, salad, cucumber).Lightly-buttered wholemeal bread (with a little honey).Seasonal fruit (strawberries, pears, melon…).

But to give you a basic idea, here’s a sample day’s menu (you’ll see that DASH recipes are pretty similar to those in a Mediterranean diet) : Breakfast To devise a menu with exact quantities, it’s best to consult a nutritionist. Your individual energy needs depend on your body type, gender and level of physical activity. To maintain it over the long term, it’s a good idea to discover and cook new dishes on a regular basis. The list of permitted foods above allows for a wide variety of different menus. High-sugar foods and drinks (biscuits, fizzy drinks, sweets of all kinds …).Foods high in salt (charcuterie, crisps…).Foods high in saturated fats (ready-meals, fried food, hamburgers, pizzas…).Whole grains (pasta, rice, bread, quinoa, millet…).Limited fats (vegetable oils, butter and margarine).Seeds and nuts (sesame, pumpkin, walnuts, almonds ….To help you to understand the DASH diet better, here’s a table of the foods to eat and avoid. He or she will be able to advise you on any limitations in terms of your diet and potential return to physical activity. Before launching into it, however, it’s important to consult your doctor in order to review your state of health. It’s a healthy way of eating and provides all the nutrients you need. In theory, anyone can adopt the DASH diet.

DASH has also demonstrated beneficial effects on insomnia (5), gout (6) and colorectal cancer (7). Since it also encourages weight loss (3), it helps to combat obesity and all the problems associated with it.Īs consumption of animal fats is restricted, it leads to lower cholesterol and triglyceride levels too (4). However, its positive effects don’t stop there. The DASH diet was primarily designed to reduce blood pressure (1) and thus improve the health of the cardiovascular system (2). It is based on the simple principle of eating more fruit and vegetables and less salt.įor maximum effect, the diet should be accompanied by regular exercise - 30-60 minutes a day of any kind of sport or physical activity, even simple walking. DASH, or the Dietary Approach to Stop Hypertension, is a diet developed in the Nineties in the United States to counter the fast-rising problem of hypertension in the population.
