DASH Diet Menu & Nutrition

Sample Menu

Here’s a day of typical meals on a 2,000-calorie DASH diet at a 2,300 mg. sodium level. Substitutions for a 1,500 mg. sodium level are in parentheses.

Breakfast

¾ cup bran flakes cereal (¾ cup shredded wheat cereal) with 1 medium banana and 1 cup low-fat milk

1 slice whole-wheat bread with 1 tsp. (unsalted) margarine

1 cup orange juice

Lunch

Sandwich—

2 slices whole-wheat bread

¾ cup (unsalted) chicken salad

1 tbsp. Dijon (regular) mustard

Salad—

½ cup fresh cucumber slices

½ cup tomato wedges

1 tbsp. sunflower seeds

1 tsp. low-calorie Italian dressing

½ cup fruit cocktail

Dinner

3 oz. beef, eye of the round, with 2 tbsp. fat-free beef gravy

1 cup green beans, sautéed with ½ tsp. canola oil

1 small baked potato topped with 1 tbsp. fat-free sour cream, 1 tbsp. grated, reduced-fat natural (low-sodium) cheddar cheese and 1 tbsp. chopped scallions

1 small whole-wheat roll with 1 tsp. (unsalted) soft margarine

1 small apple

1 cup low-fat milk

Snacks

1/3 cup almonds, unsalted

¼ cup raisins

½ cup fat-free, no-sugar-added fruit yogurt

Nutrition

Here’s a breakdown of the nutritional content of a day’s meals on two sodium levels of DASH, alongside recommendations from the government’s 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans.

Because this diet is highly individualized, your actual intake will vary. Diet figures were supplied by NHLBI.

  1,500 mg.
DASH Diet
2,300 mg.
DASH Diet
Recommended
Calories 2,037 2,062 Women Men
21-25: 2,000
26-50: 1,800
51+: 1,600
21-40: 2,400
41-60: 2,200
61+: 2,000
Total Fat 26% 27% 20%-35%
     Saturated 5% 6% Less than 10%
     Trans 0% 0% N/A
Total Carbohydrates 56% 55% 45%-65%
     Sugars
(total except as noted)
N/A N/A N/A
     Fiber 36 g. 37 g. Women Men
19-30: 28 g.
31-50: 25 g.
51+: 22 g.
19-30: 34 g.
31-50: 31 g.
51+: 28 g.
Protein 18% 18% 10%-35%
Sodium 1,507 mg. 2,101 mg. Under 2,300 mg., under 1,500 mg. for 51+
Potassium 4,855 mg. 4,909 mg. At least 4,700 mg.
Calcium 1,218 mg. 1,220 mg. 19-50: 1,000 mg.
51+: 1,200 mg.
Vitamin B-12 4.4 mcg. 6.7 mcg. 2.4 mcg.
Vitamin D 11 mcg. 11 mcg. 15 mcg.

Recommendations apply to adults 19 and older except as noted. Recommended calories assume a sedentary lifestyle. g.: grams. mg.: milligrams. mcg.: micrograms.

Last updated by Kurtis Hiatt | December 01, 2012


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