By: Diabetes Québec Dietitian Team
June 2014 (Updated June 2018)

The DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) diet is recommended by the American National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.

This way of eating can help lower blood pressure.

Studies have shown that people with type 2 diabetes who adopted the DASH diet saw improvement in several health parameters in addition to blood pressure, including blood sugar, weight, waist circumference, blood lipids and a reduction in incident cardiovascular disease.

Basic principles

The DASH diet is similar to the recommendations of Canada’s Food Guide.

It recommends a diet high in:

  • fruit and vegetables
  • skim milk products

It emphasizes the consumption of:

  • whole grain products
  • legumes and pulses (beans and lentils)
  • nuts
  • fish
  • poultry

It suggests reduced consumption of:

  • red and processed meat
  • sweets and sugary beverages
  • foods containing trans fats, saturated fats and cholesterol

This type of diet results in a menu high in:

  • calcium
  • magnesium
  • potassium
  • dietary fibre
  • protein