Tag Archives: dash diet

I Have Diabetes – Now What? A New Patient’s Guide to Managing Type 2 Diabetes

There are more than 25.8 million people living with diabetes in the U.S., according to the CDC. They also say that adds up to just more than eight percent of our total population. It’s a tricky disease to manage and an expensive one, with a total annual cost of $2 billion. More startling? Eighty percent of cases are reversible, but that part is up to you.

If you’re one of the nearly two million newly diagnosed cases of diabetes each year, it can be worrisome, to say the least. The word strikes fear in those who have it, and worry in their loved ones. Life as you know it seemingly changes in an instance. But that’s OK. It’s a hard reality check to follow, but one that can literally save your life.

doctor patient

With Dr. Sarah G. Khan, our resident pharmacist and diabetes education expert, we’ve created your one-stop guide to diabetes for new patients. We’ll answer your questions, provide you with resources, and give you options to manage or reverse your disease.

1. Do you want to manage or correct your diabetes?

“I think diabetes is a combination of both managing and correcting,” explained Dr. Khan. “There are other factors such as illness and stress that raise blood sugars which aren’t always under a person’s control.” Ask yourself which path you want to take.

If you want to manage… (more…)

Posted on July 2, 2023 by Natalie K

US News Names Best Diets of 2024 with Few Changes Over 2024

Since 2024, US News and World Report has been releasing an annual list of the best diets and this year is no different. That goes for the rankings, not just the perpetuity of the list. It seems the analysis by US News done in 2024 matches identically to the “new” list they released for this year as the top spots in each category are exactly the same as they were last year. While four new diets were added to the top rankings in each category overall, the top two diets for each category remained the same. It certainly speaks to the longevity and consistency of the diets they review.

They look at only 29 diets in eight categories (with the addition of plant-based diets this year) and work with an expert panel of nearly two dozen leaders in the industry, including David Katz, MD, Robert Kushner, MD, and Lisa Sasson, RD. As well, they “mine” medical journals, government research, and other sources to create not only in-depth profiles for each diet but to accurately rank each diet.

According to their announcement, “Every diet received robust scrutiny, and we converted the experts’ ratings to scores and stars from 5 (highest) to 1 (lowest) to construct eight sets of Best Diets rankings.” This year, those rankings are as follows:

Best Overall Diet

1. DASH Diet

2. TLC Diet

Best Weight Loss

1. Weight Watchers

2. Biggest Loser

2. Jenny Craig

2. Raw Foods Diet (more…)

Posted on January 8, 2024 by Natalie K

2024’s Most Popular Diets Lead by Weight Watchers, 17 Day Diet, and Jillian Michaels

For the fifth year we’re excited to announce our Most Popular Diets of 2024 list! And it’s a good one!

While Weight Watchers gave up the number one position in 2024 for the first time in our history, they reclaimed the top spot this year earning them the title of Most Popular Diet of 2024. As they are weeks away from celebrating their 50th anniversary, they announced Weight Watchers 360 to help people establish healthy, lasting habits right at the new year.

In a sort of diet tag, 17 Day Diet moved to number two, a more than respectable position for a series of weight loss books that has been hard at work since its debut in late 2024. This year 17 Day Diet expanded its value to its loyal followers with the publication of a cookbook and an anti-aging plan. One of only two brands that makes multiple appearances on the list, 17 Day Diet’s Meal Plan, facilitated by Bistro MD, landed at number 24 (down from number 3 in 2024).

For the first time in our list’s five-year history, acai doesn’t show up. It seems the heyday for this diet pill has run its course, but hasn’t taken the entire supplement industry down with it. Dr. Oz’s hyped promotion of raspberry ketones landed it at number 19 on the list, no doubt stealing a lot of thunder from acai.

Jillian Michaels is the only other brand that makes multiple appearances on our list, as she does every year. Her nearly five-year-old workout DVD 30 Day Shred took position 8, an improvement over last year’s number 10 ranking. Right after that is her Detox and Cleanse product, and anchoring the list at number 20, down from number 4 in 2024, is her Jillian Michaels Online subscription program. Her exit from both Biggest Loser and The Doctors in the past 18 months may have caused a slight decline, but her popularity is rarely wavering. In fact, America’s Toughest Trainer returns to NBC’s Biggest Loser for season 14 in January. We expect to see her on the list again next year.

CLICK HERE to view the Most Popular Diets of 2024 (more…)

Posted on December 13, 2023 by Natalie K

Children’s Blood Pressure Rises as a Result of Salty, Processed Foods

Our kids can’t seem to catch a break when it comes to their diet. New research is pointing to an elevated consumption of sodium in children that’s leading to another childhood health issue: high blood pressure.

Just like type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure was once thought of as an adult disease – something that happened to adults who spent a lifetime of shaking too much salt on their food and getting too little exercise. It seems this isn’t true anymore.

NPR’s food blog, “The Salt,” reported about new findings from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The new research found that children between age 8 to 18 are taking in nearly 1,000 more milligrams of sodium than is recommended and this is resulting in high blood pressure.

In fact, 15 percent of the children in the study were found to have high or elevated blood pressure. It’s important to note that the association with high blood pressure was higher in those children who were also overweight.

What’s interesting about these statistics is that these kids aren’t getting their sodium from too many shakes of the salt shaker, which may be the culprit for their grandparents; they’re getting too much sodium from the abundance of processed foods in their diets. (more…)

Posted on September 18, 2023 by Lacy

New DASH Diet Refocuses the No. 1 Diet for Weight Loss

By Dani Stone

The DASH Diet for Weight Loss: Lose Weight the Healthy Way – and Keep It Off – With America’s Most Respected Diet is a new diet book written by Thomas J. Moore, MD and Megan C. Murphy, MPH with Mark Jenkins and slated for publication on April 17, 2024. The diet, originally intended to lower blood pressure, prevent diabetes and stop hypertension is now being touted for its comprehensive weight loss approach.

The DASH Diet is based on the DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) study created in 1993. Dr. Thomas Moore, co-author of the book, gathered in Bethesda, Maryland with a group of 50 researchers, all with one common goal, “design an eating pattern that would lower blood pressure.” After years of research and working with volunteers who agreed to be recipe/meal plan guinea pigs, the results surpassed research goals with volunteers on the DASH diet lowering their systolic blood pressure by at least 11 points, sometimes enough to replace anti-hypertensive medication.

But wait, there’s more! DASH researchers also noted additional benefits including lowering the risk of heart attacks, kidney stones and colon cancer, and it helped people lose weight. U.S. News & World Report agreed, ranking the DASH diet the #1 Overall Diet in 2024. The diet is successful because it encourages counting calories, reducing salt intake and eating fruits, vegetables, whole grains and lean protein. (more…)

Posted on March 30, 2024 by Health Buzz

DASH Diet’s Marla Heller Suggests it May Not be Sexy, but it Makes Sense

Last week the DASH Diet wasn’t exactly a household name, although it should have been. Since US News and World Report announced its Best Diets of 2024, DASH Diet is about all anyone can talk about, or search for online.

“It was exciting to see it happen again,” Marla Heller, MS, RD told us this morning about learning that DASH Diet had received the top recognition from US News for the second time in six months. “The first time it happened last summer was over the top.”

Her book, The DASH Diet Action Plan, was the result of research from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). “My patients couldn’t really understand [the information]. I knew I needed to break it down,” she told us about publishing the book.

She says it’s been a challenge to get the word out about the healthy eating plan, citing its only likely downfall is “that it doesn’t have the sex appeal of a fad diet.”

If lacking sex appeal, or even a slimmed-down celebrity endorser, is the DASH Diet’s only negative attribute, we have to ask, why aren’t more people on it? Heller and I discussed how a “diet” has come to be revered as a packaged set of rules and organized eating instructions. However, most health experts will agree that the real definition of a diet is just what you eat. Which is why Heller proudly calls her DASH Diet an eating plan.

“It’s just common sense,” she said. “Not enough people have any idea how to put together healthy meals.” She says DASH Diet can re-educate. (more…)

Posted on January 13, 2024 by Natalie K

TLC Diet Best for Lowering Cholesterol

U.S. News & World Report just added diets to its year-end best-of list. The number one spot for this year is held by the DASH diet. While that may be getting much of the publicity, right behind it at number two is another catchy-sounding plan: the TLC diet.

One thing both diets have in common is they were created by divisions of the National Institutes of Health, with the Therapeutic Lifestyle Changes Diet (TLC) being created by the NIH’s National Cholesterol Education Program.

Since government health agencies aren’t in the business of creating or endorsing fad diets, you can expect a no-frills approach. And since this one was created by a program related to cholesterol, healthy levels of cholesterol are a central goal.

Endorsed by the American Heart Association, the TLC diet can reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease by minimizing fat, particularly the saturated variety found in meat, fried foods and whole-milk dairy. These foods increase your levels of LDL, or bad, cholesterol and your risk for a heart attack or stroke. (more…)

Posted on January 10, 2024 by Jason

Simple Recipe Guide for New DASH Diet Followers

This week, US News & World Report made its Best Diets 2024 announcement, naming the DASH  (Dietary Approach to Stop Hypertension) Diet the best overall diet. There are a lot of choices for people who want to lose weight using a structured weight reduction plan, and while there is no “one-size fits all” approach, Diets In Review’s resident pharmacist Dr. Sarah Khan considers the DASH Diet an ideal weight loss plan for diabetics.

People who follow the DASH diet will work on lowering sodium intake to less than 2400 mg per day, eating fresh fruits and vegetables, lean meats, fish, chicken, whole grains and healthy fats like nuts and olive oil. With endorsements from the American Heart Association, The National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute and the Mayo Clinic, the DASH diet is a great option for anyone who wants to lose weight, maintain a healthy weight or consume less sodium.

“We often recommend the DASH diet for diabetics,” said Dr. Khan. “Diabetics should also focus on a low-sodium diet with less than 2,000 mg of salt per day. High blood pressure tends to go hand in hand with diabetics and we are more aggressive with their blood pressure control because of all the complications it could cause if we let it become too high.”

When you’re beginning the DASH diet, be sure to stock your kitchen with plenty of fresh, unprocessed foods, especially fruits and vegetables. If you’re kicking off your diet in January, look for seasonal fruit like oranges, apples, pears, and pomegranates. Instead of sticking to salads, look for unusual or unique produce like kale, Brussels sprouts and kohlrabi to liven up your vegetable rotation. Stock the pantry with plenty of whole grains and avoid white or refined flour and sugar.

To help you kick off your DASH Diet we’ve pulled together some of our favorite breakfast, lunch and dinner recipes, including a few snacks, to help you start on the right track. (more…)

Posted on January 7, 2024 by Maris

DASH Diet Tops the US News Best Diets of 2024 List

carrots, mushroom, broccoli and tomatoStarting last year, U.S. News and World Report added diets to its suite of rankings, along with colleges and cars. This year, the panel has named the DASH diet the best overall diet of 2024. DASH stands for Dietary Approach to Stop Hypertension, but that doesn’t mean it’s just for people who suffer from high blood pressure. “I think the DASH diet is really more than a diet,” says Dr. Sarah Khan. “It’s a complete lifestyle change that focuses on lean meats and proteins, low fat, low sodium, fresh fruits and vegetables and whole grains. It’s just an all-encompassing bag of good choices.”

The DASH diet aims to lower blood pressure by increasing your intake of certain nutrients while decreasing your sodium. “Because it increases the potassium and calcium in your diet, that in and of itself lowers blood pressure,” says registered dietitian Mary Hartley. “Those minerals have a role in maintaining the correct water and electrolyte balance.” She adds that many fruits and vegetables are loaded with potassium, which is why they are emphasized in the DASH Diet.

Being overweight will increase your risk of high blood pressure, but the DASH diet will only lead to weight loss if you have the proper caloric intake. “It is a diet for good health,” says Hartley. “Now, if you want to lose weight, you’re going to follow the DASH Diet but eat less of it, because you have to make a calorie deficit.” Mary recommends eating the number of calories that are necessary to maintain your ideal weight rather than drastically reducing your calories for a short period of time. “They’ll lose if they eat the calories needed for their ideal weight, they’ll just lose more slowly.”

(more…)

Posted on January 4, 2024 by Margaret

DASH Diet, Biggest Loser, and Weight Watchers Receive Top Ranks in US News Best Diets 2024

US News and World Report made its Best Diets 2024 announcement today. The list by the high profile news magazine started last year, with Weight Watchers taking the top spot.

Released today, DASH Diet gets the highest marks on the list, being named the best overall diet. We wouldn’t disagree. In fact, our resident pharmacist and diabetes specialist, Dr. Sarah G. Khan, wrote in November that the DASH Diet is an ideal weight loss plan for diabetics. “The DASH diet consists of lowering sodium intake to less than 2400 mg per day, eating fresh fruits and vegetables and carbohydrate sources coming from whole grains,” wrote Dr. Khan. “It also includes proteins coming from lean meats, fish and chicken, and moderate amounts of fats such as olive oil and nuts.” Dr. Khan also notes endorsements for the diet from the American Heart Association, The National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, and the Mayo Clinic.

DASH wasn’t the only program getting high praise and attention today.

The US News and World Report Best Diets 2024 also breaks the diets down in to multiple categories, naming the best diets for weight loss, heart health, diabetes, and even the easiest to follow.

The Best Diets 2024 list is as follows. (more…)

Posted on January 4, 2024 by Natalie K

Lean Beef is Shown to Help Lower Cholesterol Levels

By Kelsey Murray

According to the Beef in an Optimal Lean Diet study, including lean beef in your daily diet is as effective in reducing your total and bad cholesterol levels as the more commonly accepted DASH diet. The diet was conducted by researchers at the Pennsylvania State University and studied adults who have moderately elevated cholesterol levels. The adults’ cholesterol levels were then measured and evaluated, depending on how much lean beef they ate.

“This research sheds new light on evidence supporting lean beef’s role in a heart-healthy diet,” said Penny Kris-Etherton, PhD, RD, the principal investigator of the study and a nutrition professor at Pennsylvania State University. “Study participants ate lean beef every day and still met targets for saturated fat intake.”

(more…)

Posted on December 16, 2023 by Health Buzz