The short answer: a DASH diet meal plan fills each day with vegetables, fruit, whole grains, low-fat dairy, beans, nuts, fish and poultry, and keeps sodium under 2,300 mg, or 1,500 mg for a bigger effect. On 2,000 calories, the NHLBI suggests 4 to 5 servings each of vegetables and fruit a day. The 7-day plan below averages about 900 mg of sodium a day before you add salt.
You don’t need special foods or a recipe book. If you want the reasons behind each food first, read our guide to foods that lower blood pressure.
What is the DASH diet?
The DASH diet is an eating plan from the US National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) built to lower blood pressure. DASH stands for Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension. The NHLBI calls it flexible and balanced. It asks you to:
- Eat vegetables, fruit and whole grains.
- Include fat-free or low-fat dairy, fish, poultry, beans, nuts and vegetable oils.
- Limit foods high in saturated fat, such as fatty meat, full-fat dairy and coconut or palm oil.
- Limit sugary drinks and sweets, and keep sodium to 2,300 mg a day or less.
How many servings a day does the DASH diet recommend?
On 2,000 calories a day, the DASH diet recommends 6 to 8 servings of grains, 4 to 5 of vegetables, 4 to 5 of fruit and 2 to 3 of low-fat dairy. Here’s the NHLBI chart for three calorie levels. Servings are per day unless marked.
| Food group | 1,600 calories | 2,000 calories | 2,600 calories | One serving is |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grains, mostly whole | 6 | 6 to 8 | 10 to 11 | 1 slice bread; ½ cup cooked rice, pasta or oatmeal |
| Vegetables | 3 to 4 | 4 to 5 | 5 to 6 | 1 cup raw leafy greens; ½ cup other vegetables |
| Fruit | 4 | 4 to 5 | 5 to 6 | 1 medium fruit; ½ cup fresh or frozen; ¼ cup dried |
| Fat-free or low-fat dairy | 2 to 3 | 2 to 3 | 3 | 1 cup milk or yogurt; 1½ oz cheese |
| Lean meat, poultry and fish | 3 to 4 or less | 6 or less | 6 or less | 1 oz cooked; 1 egg |
| Nuts, seeds and beans | 3 to 4 a week | 4 to 5 a week | 1 | ⅓ cup nuts; 2 tbsp peanut butter; ½ cup cooked beans |
| Fats and oils | 2 | 2 to 3 | 3 | 1 tsp oil; 1 tbsp mayonnaise |
| Sweets and added sugars | 3 or less a week | 5 or less a week | 2 or less | 1 tbsp sugar or jam; ½ cup sorbet |
| Sodium, maximum | 2,300 mg | 2,300 mg | 2,300 mg |
The NHLBI says to pick the calorie level closest to your needs, which depend on your age and how active you are. Meat servings are 1 ounce each, so "6 or less" means about 6 ounces a day in total.
What does a 7-day DASH diet meal plan look like?
Here’s a week of simple meals. We worked out the calories, sodium and potassium for each day from USDA FoodData Central, using foods cooked without salt, then rounded them.
| Day | Breakfast | Lunch | Snack | Dinner | Sodium | Potassium | Calories |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Oatmeal made with skim milk, sliced banana, walnuts | Spinach salad with chickpeas, tomato, cucumber, olive oil and vinegar; 2 slices whole-wheat bread | Plain low-fat yogurt, blueberries, a few almonds | 4 oz baked salmon, baked potato with skin, broccoli; an orange | 800 mg | 5,150 mg | 1,800 |
| 2 | 2 slices whole-wheat toast with unsalted peanut butter, an orange, a glass of skim milk | Brown rice bowl with black beans, avocado, tomato and red pepper | An apple, 1 oz unsalted almonds | 4 oz roast chicken breast, baked sweet potato, green beans; strawberries | 600 mg | 4,250 mg | 1,800 |
| 3 | Plain low-fat yogurt with strawberries, walnuts and a spoonful of oats | Homemade lentil soup with carrot, celery, onion and no-salt-added tomatoes; 2 slices whole-wheat bread | A banana, 1 oz unsalted peanuts | Whole-wheat spaghetti with no-salt-added tomatoes, white beans, spinach and 1 tbsp parmesan; a pear | 700 mg | 4,450 mg | 1,750 |
| 4 | 2 eggs scrambled with spinach, 2 slices whole-wheat toast, an orange | Tuna sandwich (canned light tuna, 1 tbsp mayonnaise, romaine) on whole-wheat bread, carrot sticks, an apple | Skim milk, ¼ cup raisins, a few almonds | Tofu stir-fry with mixed vegetables and garlic over brown rice | 1,300 mg | 3,050 mg | 1,750 |
| 5 | Oatmeal made with skim milk, strawberries, ground flaxseed and walnuts | Baked potato topped with black beans, plain yogurt and broccoli | A pear, 1 oz unsalted peanuts | 4 oz baked cod with quinoa, zucchini and tomato; a banana | 400 mg | 5,150 mg | 1,700 |
| 6 | Smoothie of skim milk, banana, kale and ground flaxseed; 1 slice toast with peanut butter | Chickpea salad with cucumber, tomato, 1 oz feta and olive oil; a whole-wheat pita | Plain low-fat yogurt, a peach, a few almonds | Beef and bean chili (3 oz lean beef, kidney beans, no-salt-added tomatoes, onion, pepper) over brown rice; side salad | 1,150 mg | 4,300 mg | 1,800 |
| 7 | Oatmeal made with skim milk, chopped apple, cinnamon and walnuts | Whole-wheat pita with ¼ cup hummus, carrot, cucumber and pepper strips; an orange | Plain low-fat yogurt, blueberries, a few peanuts | 4 oz roast chicken thigh, baked potato, carrots, wilted spinach; 1 slice whole-wheat bread | 1,250 mg | 4,300 mg | 1,700 |
The days come to about 1,700 to 1,800 calories, close to the NHLBI’s 1,800-calorie column. They run a little light on grains, so add a slice of whole-wheat bread or ½ cup of brown rice if you need more food. Bread, pita, feta, tuna and hummus bring most of the sodium: a slice of whole-wheat bread has about 146 mg. We used beans cooked without salt. Regular canned beans have more, so buy no-salt-added cans or check the label. For more ideas, see our healthy dinner ideas and cheap healthy meals.
How much sodium is allowed on the DASH diet?
The DASH diet allows up to 2,300 mg of sodium a day, and the NHLBI says 1,500 mg lowers blood pressure even further. MedlinePlus says your provider may suggest 1,500 mg if you already have high blood pressure, diabetes or chronic kidney disease. The plan above leaves room for a little salt. A quarter teaspoon adds about 580 mg, from USDA figures. Our guide to how much sodium per day explains how to read labels.
How much does the DASH diet lower blood pressure?
The DASH diet lowered blood pressure by 5.5/3.0 mm Hg on average in its first trial, and by 11.4/5.5 in people with high blood pressure, after 8 weeks. DASH-Sodium then tested three sodium levels for 30 days each in 412 people. Here’s what it found for the top number:
| Change | Typical US diet | DASH diet |
|---|---|---|
| Sodium from high (3,300 mg) to medium (2,300 mg) | Down 2.1 | Down 1.3 |
| Sodium from medium (2,300 mg) to low (1,500 mg) | Down a further 4.6 | Down a further 1.7 |
| DASH at low sodium, against the typical diet at high sodium | Down 7.1 without high blood pressure; down 11.5 with it | |
Sodium amounts are from the NHLBI. The effect showed up in women and men, people of every race and people with and without high blood pressure. Doing both, DASH foods and less salt, worked better than either one alone.
What should be on a DASH diet shopping list?
A DASH diet shopping list is mostly produce, whole grains, low-fat dairy and plain proteins. This one covers the week above:
- Vegetables: spinach, kale, romaine, broccoli, carrots, celery, onions, red peppers, cucumbers, tomatoes, zucchini, potatoes, sweet potatoes, frozen mixed vegetables, garlic.
- Fruit: bananas, oranges, apples, pears, a peach, strawberries, blueberries, an avocado, raisins.
- Grains: rolled oats, whole-wheat bread, whole-wheat pita, whole-wheat spaghetti, brown rice, quinoa.
- Protein: salmon, cod, chicken breast and thighs, 90% lean ground beef, eggs, canned light tuna in water, firm tofu, dried or no-salt-added lentils, chickpeas, black, white and kidney beans.
- Dairy: skim milk, plain low-fat yogurt, a little feta and parmesan.
- Pantry: olive oil, vinegar, unsalted peanut butter, unsalted almonds, walnuts and peanuts, ground flaxseed, no-salt-added canned tomatoes, hummus, cinnamon and dried herbs.
Is the DASH diet good for kidney disease?
If you have kidney disease, ask your doctor before following DASH, because the plan is high in potassium. This week’s plan has 3,000 to 5,200 mg a day. MedlinePlus lists 2,600 mg for adult women and 3,400 mg for men, and says damaged kidneys may not remove extra potassium. It also names ACE inhibitors, ARBs and potassium-sparing diuretics as causes of potassium running too high. If you take blood pressure medicine, MedlinePlus says not to stop it while on DASH, and to tell your provider you’re following the plan.
Your next step
Start with Day 1 tomorrow, or swap one meal a day for a DASH meal this week. Keep a note of your home readings as you go. For the habits beyond food, see how to lower blood pressure. A banana is the easiest fruit serving to keep on hand, and the book below has a week of ideas for it.
Make the fruit part easy
The Banana Book
A 7-day banana habit plan plus 60 simple recipes, sorted by what you need. It’s a cookbook, not a treatment, so keep following your doctor’s advice. Only $4.99.
Quick questions
Can you eat eggs on the DASH diet?
You can eat eggs on the DASH diet. The NHLBI counts 1 egg as one serving from the lean meat, poultry and fish group, which allows 6 servings or fewer a day on 2,000 calories. Cook them without much salt, and pair them with vegetables or whole-grain toast, as in Day 4 of the plan above.
How fast does the DASH diet lower blood pressure?
In the trials, the DASH diet lowered blood pressure within weeks. The first DASH trial measured the drop after 8 weeks, and DASH-Sodium tested each sodium level for 30 days. Results differ from person to person, so keep checking your blood pressure the same way at home and share the numbers with your doctor.
What can you not eat on the DASH diet?
No food is banned on the DASH diet. MedlinePlus says you can eat foods from all food groups, but should cut back on salt, red meat, sweets and sugary drinks. The NHLBI also suggests limiting full-fat dairy, fatty meats and coconut or palm oil, and allows 5 or fewer servings of sweets a week on 2,000 calories.
Does the DASH diet lower cholesterol?
Yes, the DASH diet lowered LDL cholesterol as well as blood pressure, according to follow-up reports from the DASH trial described by the NHLBI. In the later OmniHeart trial, swapping some carbohydrate for protein or unsaturated fat improved blood pressure and cholesterol more than the original DASH diet.
Can you eat cheese on the DASH diet?
You can eat cheese on the DASH diet, in small amounts. The NHLBI counts 1½ ounces of cheese as one dairy serving and suggests fat-free, low-fat or reduced-fat kinds. Cheese can be salty: an ounce of feta has about 319 mg of sodium, according to USDA data, so it uses up more of your daily limit than milk or yogurt.
What can you drink on the DASH diet?
On the DASH diet, choose water, fat-free or low-fat milk and small amounts of 100% juice, which counts as fruit. Limit sugary drinks. For alcohol, MedlinePlus suggests no more than 1 to 2 drinks a day for men and 1 or fewer for women, and says not to start drinking if you don’t already.
This article is general information, not medical advice. The meal plan is an example for healthy adults and isn’t a medical diet. If you have kidney disease, diabetes or take blood pressure medicine, check with your doctor before changing how you eat. Never stop or change any medicine without talking to your doctor.
Sources
- NHLBI. DASH Eating Plan
- NHLBI. Following DASH
- NHLBI. Health Benefits of DASH
- MedlinePlus. DASH diet to lower high blood pressure
- MedlinePlus. Potassium in diet
- Appel LJ, et al. A clinical trial of the effects of dietary patterns on blood pressure (DASH). N Engl J Med, 1997
- Sacks FM, et al. Effects on blood pressure of reduced dietary sodium and the DASH diet. N Engl J Med, 2001
- USDA. FoodData Central, SR Legacy