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.