concerns about potential negatives of a high-carb, lower-fat diet, the Omni-Heart researchers tested their higher protein and higher monounsaturated fat diets against DASH. In diabetes, the body becomes less sensitive to insulin, so the Omni-Heart researchers’ goal was to find out whether DASH or a higher protein or high mono-fat version of the diet (substituting for some of the carb content) would improve sensitivity to insulin, potentially cutting the chances of developing diabetes.
Although the higher protein diet didn’t seem to make a difference, the mono-fat version of the DASH diet, which included more olive oil, canola oil, nuts, and seeds, improved participants’ insulin sensitivity. Not only do they taste good, these healthy-fat foods are also known to be heart-smart, brain-protecting, and hunger-busting. It makes sense to make them part of your healthy eating plan.
In a study published in 2011, a cooperative endeavor between American and Iranian researchers, people with diabetes who spent eight weeks on DASH
Dropped blood sugar levels nearly 30 points
Lowered LDL cholesterol 17 points
Increased HDL cholesterol more than 4 points
Lowered systolic pressure nearly 14 points
Dropped diastolic pressure nearly 10 points
Tackling Cancer
Cancer is a term fraught with dread. It makes people miserable, often requires horribly draining chemotherapy and radiation treatments, and may even be disfiguring. But what exactly is it? Cancer is really a catch-all term for a wide variety of diseases that happen when cells stray from their normal function, mutate, and begin to divide and grow out of control. Eventually, these growths can interfere with the body’s ability to carry out its day-to-day, life-sustaining processes.
There are more than 100 different types of cancers. Some you can live with for decades and never know they’re there. Others can be deadly within months or less. Often, doctors have no idea why a particular cancer strikes a particular individual. It’s possible to live an entirely pure way of life and still be struck down by the disease. Others engage in every possible vice and yet live well into their 90s. Be that as it may, some triggers are guaranteed to drastically raise your risk for one or many forms of cancer. Smoking is the obvious offender. So is long-term unprotected exposure to sunlight. But body weight and lifestyle can play a factor too, both positive and negative.
Why cancer matters
Many cancers, including breast cancer, colon cancer, and pancreatic cancer, are strongly linked to diet and lifestyle. It’s estimated that as many as 40 percent of cancers can be prevented with simple lifestyle changes. None of these changes are radical, but all require some effort on your part. For example, if you’re a smoker, dropping the habit can significantly reduce your risk for lung cancer, cancers of the mouth and throat, and more.
Body weight and the food you eat are two very important and modifiable risk factors for cancer. When you commit to a heart-healthy diet like DASH, you cut your risk for cancer and boost your chances of staying healthy for the long term.
How DASH can help
With its emphasis on fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, combined with limited amounts of sodium, sugar, red meat, and processed foods, DASH is spot-on for reducing the risk of some cancers.
Finally, obesity itself contributes to a spectrum of cancers, including cancers of the breast, esophagus, pancreas, colon, uterus, and prostate. Combining DASH with calorie-cutting and exercise can get you back on the right track.
Chapter 4
Gearing Up for a DASH Lifestyle
IN THIS CHAPTER
The great thing about Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) is that it’s an eating plan for life. Unless you have specific food sensitivities or other medical issues that require medical nutrition therapy (see Chapter 1), DASH is a great eating plan for the whole family, not just those with (or at risk for) high blood pressure. You do have to be willing to make a few adjustments to your eating schedule and food choices, though.
Specifically, you need to eat on a fairly regular schedule and include more fruits, vegetables, and dairy foods in your diet. (If you have an intolerance to dairy or lactose, you can still adopt the plan; see Chapter 5 for more on dairy.) No super-exotic foods are required with DASH, but you may encounter vegetables you don’t eat too often or whole grains you haven’t tried. Dare yourself to become a more adventurous eater as part of your journey to a healthier diet. (We share numerous tantalizing recipes in Part 4 that make moving ahead in your food adventures easy and tasty.)
In this chapter, you find out how to get ready to modify your current diet. You also discover how to set goals, track your progress toward those goals, and overcome pitfalls that could otherwise hinder your progress.
Setting Yourself Up for a DASHing Success
Creating and practicing a new routine is part of establishing a new habit. If your diet is low in fruits and vegetables and high in salt and fat right now, you can’t expect to do a complete turnaround overnight. You have to establish a few small goals at a time and work on those goals until they become new habits. After you adopt a few new habits, you can move on to the next few goals.
You can successfully follow a DASH diet plan by keeping these tips in mind:
