The DASH Diet Could Help In The Fight Against Obesity

Like it or not the first line of attack in combating obesity is the traditional diet and exercise plan and most doctors will not even consider such things as gastric bypass surgery until they are satisfied that you have tried dieting and exercise seriously and without success. So, faced with having to trek down the diet route it makes sense to pick a diet that at least stands a chance of working. The DASH diet, which was essentially developed to help lower blood pressure and is supported by The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute and the The American Heart Association, is one possible choice.

Most diets focus their attention on foods which you should avoid, requiring you to cut out carbohydrates or fats for example. Others focus on the so-called dieting properties of certain foods and require you to eat copious quantities of such things as grapefruit. Without going into the ins and outs of such diets, the real problem with nearly all of these diets is that they have been shown time and time again to be ineffective. In simple terms - they don't work.

So what makes the DASH diet different?

The DASH diet focuses its attention on what you should be eating, rather than on what you should not be eating, and at its simplest recommends eating a balance of fruit and vegetables supplemented with some low-fat dairy products. Fruits and vegetables are excellent diet products (as long as you eat a range of both and don't simply limit yourself to just one or two of your favorite fruits and vegetables) for two main reasons.

First, fruit and vegetables have a high water content and are low in calories. This means that you do not need to eat large quantities of either to feel full and even relatively large quantities will not provide a high calorie intake. Second, fruit and vegetables provide not only your necessary daily intake of fiber, but are also high in essential vitamins and minerals which are essential to keeping you healthy while you are dieting.

Whether or not you follow the specific DASH diet or not is very much a personal choice but, if you are faced with having to try the diet and exercise solution to obesity, then a diet which follows the principles outlined in the DASH diet and which focuses its attention largely on fruit and vegetables might be an excellent route to take.

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