What exactly should I eat to adhere to the DASH diet?

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    Last Updated: May 16, 2025

    The DASH diet emphasizes consuming vegetables, fruits, whole grains, low-fat dairy, fish, poultry, beans, nuts, and vegetable oils while limiting saturated fats, sweets, and sugar-sweetened beverages. A typical 2,000 kcal daily intake includes specific servings of these food groups along with sodium restrictions.

    According to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, the DASH diet recommends eating vegetables, fruits, and whole grains, including fat-free or low-fat dairy products, fish, poultry, beans, nuts, and vegetable oils; limiting foods that are high in saturated fat (e.g., fatty meats, full-fat dairy products, and tropical oils like coconut, palm kernel and palm oils); and limiting sweets and sugar-sweetened beverages. A 2,000 kcal daily diet would include 6-8 servings of grains, 6 or less servings of meat, poultry or fish, 4-5 servings of vegetables, 4-5 servings of fruit, 2-3 servings of low fat or fat-free dairy products, 2-3 servings of fats and oils, and either 2,300 milligrams of sodium or 1,500 milligrams of sodium, which is roughly half[1] of what the typical American consumes. In addition, the diet would include 4-5 weekly servings of nuts, beans, seeds, or peas and 5 or less servings of sweets.

    What exactly should I eat to adhere to the DASH diet? - Examine