CHAPTER 1

Cooking the DASH Way

The Everyday DASH Diet Cookbook will become your go-to book forhealthful, delicious food. The DASH diet is rich in plant-based foods, includingfruits, vegetables, beans, nuts, seeds, whole grains, and heart-healthyvegetable fats. To this foundation, add low-fat and nonfat dairy (a key DASHdiet food) and protein (fish and seafood, lean beef, pork, and poultry). Withthis huge range of options for cooking terrific meals, you will no longer haveto choose between the foods you like and eating more healthfully. Based on theenormously popular DASH diet, The Everyday DASH Diet Cookbook isdesigned to make living a DASH lifestyle as simple and delicious as possible.The easier the dish is to make, the more likely you are to make it a part ofyour regular rotation of favorite recipes. You will, as I often do, discard theidea of a "diet," because cooking the DASH way will become a way of life, asnatural as breathing ... or eating!

So, what is the DASH diet? This revolutionary outlook on healthful eating wasoriginally developed as part of a study to find ways to lower blood pressurewithout medication. DASH is an acronym for Dietary Approaches to StopHypertension, which was the name of the original study. The study organizerswanted to take the best elements of vegetarian diets, which were known to beassociated with lower blood pressure, and design a plan that would be flexibleenough to appeal to the vast majority of Americans, who are dedicated meateaters. They developed what they believed was the healthiest omnivore diet plan.

And the research has borne out this hope. The DASH diet helps lower bloodpressure as well as the first-line medication for hypertension. It also lowerscholesterol. When evaluated over very long periods of time, the DASH eatingpattern has been shown to help lower the risk for many diseases and life-threateningmedical conditions or events, including stroke, heart attack, heartfailure, type 2 diabetes, kidney disease, kidney stones, and some types ofcancer. Not only is DASH recommended for people who have these conditions or areat risk for them, but it is recommended for everyone in the Dietary Guidelinesfor Americans. And the DASH diet is fabulous for weight loss, since it is loadedwith bulky, filling fruits and vegetables and has plenty of protein to providesatiety. In fact, the plan is so rich in healthy foods that people find it easyto follow without being tempted to "cheat." The DASH diet was ranked the "#1Best Overall Diet" in 2011, 2012, and 2013 by U.S. News & World Report.It is widely hailed by doctors and nutritionists as the best and healthiest dietplan.

Even children get a health benefit, since studies have shown that kids whofollow a DASH eating pattern are more likely to be at a healthy weight and tohave healthier blood pressure. This makes DASH a wonderful plan for the wholefamily.

The DASH plan has its base in fresh fruits and vegetables. In this book, I usethem in many ways that will make your everyday cooking look beautiful, tastewonderful, and generally be more satisfying than ever before, because you knowthe food is so good for you. (This does not mean that meat, poultry, and seafoodare neglected.) This cookbook makes staying on track with the DASH plan as easyas can be. And by focusing on the foods to include, instead of "foods to avoid,"you will develop a positive outlook on fantastic eating. Here are the tips forcooking recipes to keep you thinking positive—and looking and feelinggreat.

The Pantry

Have you heard the (true) advice that you should join a gym that is close toyour house so its proximity negates the excuse of "It's too far to go"? You canapply the same idea to healthful cooking. If you have most of the ingredients onhand and have to shop at the market for only a few fresh items, you will find iteasier to cook the DASH way. To get started, you'll want to stock some basicitems in your pantry and kitchen so that you can be prepared to whip up healthyDASH recipes at any time. And I have some helpful tips that will make lifeeasier and cooking the DASH way a breeze.

Canned, Bottled, and Dry Foods

Be a label reader! Those "Nutrition Facts" numbers on a food label can be yourbest buddy when shopping for pantry items. Innocent-looking foods are not alwaysso benign. It pays to comparison shop, not just for price, but also for thosenumbers on the labels.

One of the most important concepts to understand is the differences among thevarious "reduced sodium" products. This is especially helpful for people on asodium-restricted hypertension diet, with daily sodium intake limited to 1,500milligrams (mg). Sometimes, a reduced-sodium or lower-sodium product might notbe as healthy as you would like. A product labeled "reduced sodium" or "lowersodium" needs to have only 25 percent less sodium than the average amount foundin the regular (full-sodium) version. A low-sodium product can have only 140 mgper serving. A very low-sodium food cannot have more than 35 mg per serving, anda no-sodium or no-salt product must contain just 5 mg or less.

Food products offer standardized serving sizes determined by the US Departmentof Agriculture (USDA) to help you compare products. For example, the standardserving size for low-sodium chicken broth is 1 cup (8 fluid ounces). A quickcheck of various reduced-sodium chicken broths revealed two brands with sodiumcontents of 679 mg and 570 mg. A low-sodium broth came in at 140 mg for anentire can (10 fluid ounces). Even with the additional 2 ounces of broth, it iseasy to choose the one with the lowest sodium. With the first two brands, a cupof broth (which is not hard to consume in a meal-sized bowl of soup at lunch ordinner) would contain at least a third of your daily sodium intake! And this iswith a "reduced sodium" product!

With this in mind, here are some useful items to keep in your pantry foreveryday cooking:

• Diced tomatoes, no salt added

• Crushed tomatoes, no salt added

• Tomato sauce, no salt added

• Tomato paste, no salt added

• Garbanzo beans, reduced-sodium

• Cannellini beans, no salt added

• Black beans, reduced-sodium

• Lentils, dried

• Canned tuna, in water, low-salt

• Canned salmon, low-salt

• Canned chicken, low-salt

• Extra-virgin olive oil

• Canola oil

• Oats, old-fashioned or rolled

• Chicken broth, low-sodium

The Spice Cabinet

Spices and herbs are derived from fragrant, edible plants and used asflavorings. Herbs are the leaves, and spices are the other parts of the plant,including the bark, roots, berries, flower pods, or seeds. In premodern times,spices were very expensive and rare, and then, as now, they traveled thousandsof miles to get to the marketplace. These days, we literally have an entireworld of seasonings to flavor our food. Make use of them! Especially in a low-saltdiet, herbs and spices play an important role in the "yum factor" incooking.

Dried herbs and spices are very convenient, and with just a shake or a sprinkle,they can add zest to your meal. Store them in airtight containers in a cool,dark, dry place. Warmth and light speed the evaporation of...