This is the diet book that the USA has been waiting for but too few persons seem to know about it -- yet. It is scientifically accurate and the conclusions of the authors are sound. It is proof that eating for improved health and fitness need not be boring. Indeed, the day after I received the book, I prepared the mango/black bean salad to rave reviews and no leftovers.

The message is not new: We need to increase the fruits, veggies, and whole grain foods in our diet, and to decrease red meats, sodium, and sweets. Although the target audience is those with hypertension, nearly everyone can benefit from accepting the book's challenge to try the DASH diet for two weeks -- and for a lifetime. The fact that the authors go beyond the science and present imaginative, delicious recipes and menus is a definite strength of the book.

A salute to the authors for this timely book!

82 of 84 found the following review helpful:


Excellent Choice  Sep 02, 2003
This diet works, and it is completely fulfilling and delicious. I am so happy I went on it. I have extremely high blood pressure--so high I will always have to take medications for it. I wanted to go on this diet simply because I thought it would be a really healthy way to lose a few pounds. I honestly was not expecting it to lower my blood pressure. Well, I was very surprised to see that it did! After two weeks my BP dropped about 12 points on the upper and 5 points on the lower, consistently. It is really surprising! I was even able to lower my dosage a little. I've enjoyed eating this way tremendously. For anyone who wants to eat healthy, this is a great way to start. This is the most scientifically supported and most highly endorsed eating plan out there.
It is similar to most sensible nutrition plans, with a little more dairy and a little less meat. It is very easy to follow.

I can only say, Congratulations and thank you to the team behind it.

56 of 59 found the following review helpful:


DASH Diet Helped Me  Feb 10, 2005 By Helper
Having battled high blood pressure for years, I started reading books about my problem in an effort to do what my doctors hadn't been able to accomplish - control my blood pressure without drugs. I picked up two books, the DASH Diet by Thomas Moore and NO More Heart Disease by Lou Ignarro. I found the dietary recommendations were similar in both books, which made me feel more comfortable. The simple nutritional recommendations made by both Dr. Moore and Dr. Ignarro were easy to add to my daily regimen. What I can tell you is that with the help of these two books I have been able to bring my blood pressure down into almost the "normal" range for the first time in years - without any drugs!

49 of 54 found the following review helpful:


Been doing this most of my life....  Dec 01, 2004 By Dianne Foster "Di"
Why does the DASH diet work? No one knows for certain, although Thomas Moore has his suspicions and offers some suggestions for the reader. Moore, a member of the Harvard Medical School and Boston University faculties, and his co-authors tested the effects of three different diets: 1) the so-called typical American diet; 2) a fruit and vegetable diet; and 3) the DASH diet, and noted that those who ate the DASH diet lost weight, and experienced better blood pressure, cholesterol and insulin resistance readings.

Perhaps eating a combination of foods rich in fiber, magnesium, potassium, and calcium and high in anti-oxidants is part of the answer. Perhaps eating less refined sugar is also a key. Moore provides many suggestions for increasing the fiber in your diet by eating-you guessed it more vegetables and fruits and fewer GASS (grease-alcohol-sugar-salt) items. Moore explains how to approach shopping at the super market, and menus and recipes for employing "Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension" or DASH. According to the jacket of Moore's book, The American Heart Association, The National Heart Lung, and Blood Institute, and the American Society for Hypertension approve the DASH diet.

I did not find anything new in this book, but if you aren't familiar with the DASH diet, perhaps you will.

20 of 20 found the following review helpful:


If You Have Hypertension You Need to Be DASHING  Sep 10, 2009 By D. Cooper
Hypertension kills. Suffering a stroke, heart attack, congestive heart failure, or damage to your eyes should be enough to get anyone to change their bad habits and get their lifestyle on track with the DASH diet. There is nothing difficult about eating fresh fruits instead of cookies or candy, and making fresh salads and cooking fresh vegetables instead of opening up a can of soggy, sodium laden mush passing as food.

Believe it or not, I told MY doctor about the DASH diet when I first got diagnosed with high blood pressure about 10 years ago. She'd never heard of it. I was only 34 but African Americans seem to have a higher rate of hypertension than any other ethnic group. My blood pressure was an unbelievable 170/110 but I had no symptoms at all. Fearful of medications, but even more fearful of dying, I looked for an alternative solution that would provide fast results, and happened across the DASH study results.

I ordered two booklets from the NHLB website and started changing my life.

When I went back for a checkup a month later, my blood pressure had dropped an amazing 32 points systolic and was within the normal range of 138/85. She was stunned and ran from the room with the booklet I gave her to show other doctors in the office. They were in disbelief and actually came in to talk to me about the program. My blood pressure continued to drop once I got a better handle on sodium and liquor intake until it reached normal where it now stays unless I go off on a tangent too many days in a row.

This was accomplished without any medication, just a steely determination to live which meant giving up things I shouldn't have been eating anyway. The book is great because it goes into a great deal of explanation and provides menu ideas to get you started.

If you can't afford to order the book right now, at least look on the web and review the online documents which support changing your eating habits per the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension. I cannot recommend this book highly enough. The DASH diet saved my life.

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