DASH Diet: The Eating Pattern, Foods and How to Track It

DASH is the name of an eating pattern that researchers at the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) studied in clinical trials on blood pressure. It is built on vegetables, fruit, wholegrain foods, low-fat dairy, nuts and legumes, with poultry and fish, and it limits red meat, sweets and sodium.

This page describes that pattern. It does not tell you what to do about your own blood pressure, and it does not replace the guidance of your doctor. NHLBI publishes the official description of the eating plan, with its daily servings by calorie level, and that is where to read it.

The official plan is expressed as servings of each food group, scaled to a calorie level, not as macros. That makes it simple to combine with calorie counting: choose your calorie target first, then use the plan's table to see how many portions of grains, vegetables, fruit, dairy and protein fit.

Sodium is part of the pattern, so it helps to see the number on the food. Our food pages show sodium per 100 g beside calories, and the percent daily value entry in the glossary explains how the label compares it with a reference amount.

Most of the shift comes from the plate: more vegetables and fruit, wholegrain bread in place of white, low-fat dairy, and beans or nuts for variety. Swapping a salty processed item for the plain version of the same food is often a bigger change than any single new food.

Potassium, magnesium and calcium appear in discussions of the pattern, and the nutrient lists on this site rank foods for them. Use the lists to find foods you already like, rather than to chase a number.