The DASH Diet Mediterranean Solution Analysis Paper Example

Introduction

This article is a book review of The Dash Diet Mediterranean Solution by Marla Heller. The book focuses on the two main diets that are preferred by the writers which include the Dash Diet and the Mediterranean Diet. According to the book, these two diets are among the top rated diets for human health which have since been recommended by nutritionists and doctors. These diets have also been crowned by the World Report's and US News as top diets for nine years in a row. Research from the book shows various advantages of these two diets especially when they are combined. The Dash Diet Mediterranean Solution book presents a new approach to these two beneficial diets that sheds some lights on the various benefits of fresh and whole foods. These diets are composed of unprocessed foods or even foods that are minimally processed, with no additives or artificial sweeteners. They are healthy for the heart and promote weight loss and enables maintenance of appropriate body weight. The book also stresses the point that these diets support both meat-eaters and vegetarians. Marla Heller has outlined the new research on the need to use these diets to curb depression, hypertension, atherosclerosis, cognition, diabetes among others (Heller, 2012).

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Importance of DASH and Mediterranean Diets

DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) and Mediterranean diets are the best diets in the world. They are both beneficial as they ensure heart health. Both of these diets reduce inflammation hence they are related to lower risks of heart attacks, strokes, diabetes mellitus, cancers and heart failure. They are also known to preserve brain health as well as the general health of an individual. These diets help in weight loss and ensure maintenance of the appropriate weight of a person (Heller, 2012).

There are many diets that come to be every day. These diets are praised and the hype decreased all of a sudden and they are never heard again. Unlike these other hyped diets, the DASH and the Mediterranean diets are plans that endure as they are around year after year. Their success can be attributed to their nutritious components that do not disappoint. For instance, the DASH diet is rich in fruits and vegetables that have low fats, whole grains, fish, lean meat and poultry products as well as moderate amounts of fats that are heart-healthy.

The Mediterranean diets have almost similar components but additionally emphasizes olive oil, seafood, beans, herbs and red wine. Due to the Mediterranean Diets, the people who live around the Mediterranean region have lower rates of the occurrence of heart diseases those individuals who eat a typical Western diet. The diet comprises olive oil, seafood, beans, herbs, red wine, white bread and pasta. Most of these foods include traditional Mediterranean diets that have that capability to influence the risk factors that are associated with heart attacks as well as other heart diseases in the modern world. There are no other known diets that have similar medical pedigree. These diets help unhealthy people get healthy and support attaining and maintaining health weigh while being delicious (Heller, 2012).

DASH and Mediterranean Diets as Eating Patterns and Lifestyle

Marla Heller argues that a diet such as the DASH and Mediterranean Diets should be seen as food pattern and eating style and not just a plan to lose weight. These two diets are flexible and all-inclusive hence they are not difficult to follow which makes them useful for the long run. These diets are beautiful, delicious and enjoyable hence can be made a lifestyle. These lifestyle helps in healthy living since it lowers cholesterol, reduces heart failure and decreases rates of heart attack. They improve brain health, reduced systemic inflammation, heart failure and decrease stroke occurrence (Banjari, Bajraktarovic-Labovic, Misir & Huzjak, 2013).

Benefits of Med-DASH Plan, Inflammation, Weight, and Chronic Disease

DASH and Mediterranean Diets helps in the reduction of subclinical inflammation that causes many heart diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, cancer and many more. Most of the inflammation is caused by an oversupply of bad bacteria that leads to the overproduction of many immune cells which include; T-cells, mast cells, B-cells, neutrophils, and macrophages. These two diets help to reduce such bad bacteria and nourish the normal flora. Therefore, DASH and Mediterranean Diets reduce the inflammatory activities of these bacteria that cause insulin resistance and atherosclerosis.

High blood pressure, Cholesterol Reduced by DASH and Mediterranean Diets

DASH and Mediterranean Diets contain good cholesterol that includes HDL and has less bad cholesterol which includes LDL. The good cholesterol has a protective function around cardiovascular diseases such as strokes, heart failure, and peripheral artery disease. These diets reduce the chance of having high blood pressure which include hypertension that could result in heart failure and acute kidney disease. DASH and Mediterranean Diets have a protective role against atherosclerosis that would result in the build-up of cholesterol and triglycerides in the arteries that would form plaque that can cause blockage of a coronary artery which would lead to heart attack (Appel, 2013).

References

Appel, L. J. (2013). Lifestyle modification as a means to prevent and treat high blood pressure. Journal of the American Society of Nephrology, 14(suppl 2), S99-S102. Available Online at: https://jasn.asnjournals.org/ Accessed 06/02/2019.

Banjari, I., Bajraktarovic-Labovic, S., Misir, A., & Huzjak, B. (2013). Mediterranean diet and cardiovascular diseases. Timocki medicinski glasnik, 38(4), 196-202.

Heller, M. (2012). The DASH diet weight loss solution: 2 weeks to drop pounds, boost metabolism, and get healthy. Grand Central Life & Style.