One More Reason to Try the DASH Diet—and How

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If you go to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute website it will give you recommendations based on how many calories you should be eating. 2000 is the most general way to portray the information. First calculate your EER (estimated energy requirement) aka how many calories you specifically need for your goals (i.e. maintain, gain or lose) and then find the DASH plan that correlates! GOOD LUCK!

Jessica of AZ 11:28AM June 03, 2010

Who came up with that idea and why does it continue to be passed on as the standard? This does sound like a great way to eat--and the mention of Mrs. Dash seasonings is a very good--and delicious--idea! Still, who but pro-football players and teenage boys needs 2000 calories per day? My diet is very much like the one described here (I didn't realize it had a name.) As a (let's be tactful, please) "mature" and only moderately active adult woman, I would be astounded to discover that I eat anything like 2000 calories per day. Of course, eating this way, I never count calories, don't own a scale, eat anytime of the day or night that I am hungry, and eat as much as I want--and maintain a healthy weight for my age and wear almost the same sized clothes as I did when I was 20. Before you go to chalking that up a "good metabolism" or some other excuse, consider what would happen if I traded those foods for cookies, cheesecake, McDonald's burgers and candy bars--I think it would be a whole different story. I think that this is a "No, Duh!" kind of issue.

b murph of CO 10:15AM May 25, 2010

Hey this looks like a good place to mention Mrs Dash which is a line of low salt and no salt seasonings!! It fits right in!

Cheryl Hayman of IA 2:21PM November 03, 2009

My husband may be able to eat 2000 calories a day, but it would cause me to gain about a pound a day. The dietary guidelines need to distinguish between the needs of men and the needs of women.

Delores Hardin of FL 7:57AM August 05, 2009