The Dash Diet Weight Loss Solution: 2 Weeks to Drop Pounds, Boost Metabolism, and Get Healthy (A DASH Diet Book) (23 page)
Authors: Marla Heller
Tags: #Health & Fitness / Diets
then make thin slices. You end up with very thin strips, called a
chiffonade
.
Note
: This recipe is adapted from Liz Manaster’s
From A to Zucchini.
Mango-Melon Salsa
1 very ripe mango, diced
¼–½ cantaloupe, diced
¼ honeydew melon, diced
¼ pineapple, diced
1 red pepper, diced
1–2 jalapeño peppers, diced
¼ cup rice wine vinegar
1 tablespoon brown sugar or Splenda Brown Sugar Blend
1 teaspoon cilantro, finely chopped (optional)
Mix together in a medium bowl all of the fruit and peppers. In a separate small
bowl, mix the vinegar, sugar, and cilantro. Then pour the vinegar mix over the fruit
mixture. Toss, cover, and refrigerate for 1 hour.
Makes 8 servings.
Hint
: Don’t want to buy a lot of excess fruit? I buy packaged slices of the melons and pineapple. That way, I can also see and smell whether the fruit is really
good. And it reduces the amount of cutting that you have to do, as well as
reducing any waste.
Marla Heller, MS, RD, is a registered dietitian and holds a master of science in human nutrition and dietetics from the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC), where she also completed doctoral course work in public health, with an emphasis in behavior sciences and health promotion. She is experienced in a wide variety of nutrition counseling
specialties and has taught thousands of people how to adopt the DASH diet. She has been an adjunct clinical instructor in the Department of Human Nutrition and Dietetics at UIC, teaching courses on food science and nutrition counseling. At the University of Illinois Medical Center, she was a dietitian working in the Cardiac Step-Down Unit, the Cardiac Intensive Care Unit, and the Heart-Lung Transplant Unit. She was a civilian dietitian with the U.S. Navy and most recently worked for the U.S. Department of Health and Human
Services, including the Healthy Weight Collaborative.
In addition to writing the
New York Times
bestseller
The DASH Diet Action Plan
, Marla contributed the four-week menu plan for
Win the Weight Game
by Sarah, the Duchess of York. She has been a featured nutrition expert for many national print,
television, radio, Internet, and social media platforms. She is a spokesperson for the Greater Midwest Affiliate of the American Heart Association and a past president of the Illinois Dietetic Association, from which she received their prestigious Emerging Leader Award.
Marla lives with her husband, Richard, and enjoys cooking, gardening, and finding
exciting new restaurants.
Need Gluten-Free? Dairy-Free? Making DASH Work for You
It seems as though more and more people are developing food allergies or some
degree of food intolerance. Fortunately, meal plans that are based on real foods or whole foods, such as the DASH diet, make it much easier to avoid allergens.
The most common food allergens are wheat (gluten), peanuts and tree nuts, dairy
(cow’s milk), fish and shellfish, soy, and eggs. Unfortunately, dairy and nuts are part of the key foods for the DASH Diet Weight Loss Solution. So we will need to find ways
around the allergens for those of you who have sensitivities.
And we do recognize that there are a range of intolerances from severe, life-
threatening allergies that trigger anaphylactic shock, to mild insensitivities that might cause sniffling, puffiness, or bloating when you consume certain foods.
Dairy
With dairy sensitivities, there are two possible triggers. Some people have a true allergy to cow’s milk and its derivatives. Others may have lactose intolerance, which prevents them from consuming many dairy foods.
With a true allergy to cow’s milk, the individual will want to avoid dairy foods, with possible exceptions for goat’s milk products and other non-cow-sourced dairy foods.
Some people will not be able to consume any dairy products, no matter what the source.
Please follow your doctor’s or dietitian’s advice regarding dairy.
If you have lactose intolerance, you should be able to consume yogurt and cheese with no or minimal problems. In the production of yogurt, lactose is turned into lactic acid by the beneficial bacteria. And when cheese is processed, most of the lactose is removed when the curds and whey are separated (thank you, Miss Muffet). The curds are the
solids used for making the cheese, and the lactose goes with the watery whey. Many
people find that they can consume all dairy foods if they add Lactaid drops to their milk or use Lactaid milk. Others might be able to use acidophilus milk without having any
symptoms.
Nondairy substitutes are fine; you just need to be sure that they have similar calcium and vitamin D levels as the dairy foods they replace. Also, you will want to avoid those products that are highly sweetened.
True Allergies
Most people who have true food allergies know how to work around these problems.
Unfortunately, nuts are a common food allergen, although they are a great DASH diet
food. If you can have avocados, they would be a great substitute, with similar nutrients as nuts. Otherwise, just forget about this food group and get your healthy fats from olive oil and/or fatty fish. You may need to have a few extra servings of fruits and veggies to be sure you are getting enough potassium.
If you have gluten sensitivity or true celiac disease, the DASH diet makes it very easy to accommodate your eating style. Since most foods in the diet are very close to their natural state, you will have fewer possible gluten-containing additives to be concerned about. Further, there are no grains in Phase One, and lower levels of pastries or baked goods in the complete plan than would be in the typical American diet. Of course, in
Phase Two, any of the gluten-free grains that you enjoy can be used as wheat substitutes.
Today, there are so many gluten-free foods that people find it very easy to adapt for the DASH plan.
Other types of food allergies, such as eggs, seafood, or beans, can be accommodated
by making substitutions with foods having similar nutrients. If you have more
complicated allergies or other food digestive issues, you may want to consult with a
dietitian to adapt the DASH diet for your personal needs.
You Have Reached Your Goal—How to Maintain Your Weight
Congratulations! Your commitment to reaching your goal has paid off, and you are at
your target for a healthy weight. You have learned to eat in a style that is much lighter and makes you feel great. You are exercising or doing some kind of physical activity on a regular basis. You look and feel years younger.
And of course, you want to maintain this feeling. The DASH Diet Weight Loss
Solution will continue to be your model for healthy eating and activity. You just can expand your repertoire to occasionally include more of the starchy foods, such as the grains (mostly whole grains, of course) and starchy vegetables. However, you will still want to keep these to a minimum. Most of us are not physically active enough or young enough to burn off too much starch or extra sugar.
Once or twice a week, you can splurge a little bit, and add some potatoes, or maybe a wonderful dessert. As long as you are still following the plan relatively closely, your weight will stay stable. At first you will want to keep checking your weight relatively frequently. If it starts to creep up again, you are overdoing the starch or sugar, and you will want to follow Phase Two again for a week or so.
While it might seem fun to go back to your old way of eating, none of us can do this
without regaining the weight. For most of us, our days are relatively sedentary, and we can’t burn off a higher-calorie diet. Just remember how good you feel on this lighter eating plan.
If you would like additional meal plans to help with maintaining your weight,
The
DASH Diet Action Plan
is a great guide, which has helped thousands of people.
Overview of Weight Maintenance Diet Patterns
The following table will help you understand the daily food group patterns for
maintaining your weight with the DASH Diet Weight Loss Solution.
Food Group Servings Per Day for Weight Maintenance
Smaller
Moderate
Larger
appetite
appetite
appetite
Nonstarchy vegetables
Unlimited
Dairy
2–3
2–3
3–4
Nuts, beans, seeds
1–2
1–3
2–4
Lean meat, fish, poultry,
5–6 ounces
6–8 ounces
8–11 ounces
eggs
Fats
1–2
2–3
3–4
Whole grains
2–3
2–3
3–4
Fruit
3–4
3–5
3–5
Refined grains, sweets
1–2, or less
2–3, or less
3–4, or less
U.S. to Metric Conversions, Height
Inches
Centimeters
58
147
59
150
60
152
61
155
62
157
63
160
64
163
65
165
66
168
67
170
68
173
69
175
70
178
71
180
72
183
73
185
74
188
75
191
76
193
77
196
78
198
79
201
80
203
81
206
82
208
U.S. to Metric Conversions, Weight
Pounds
Kilograms
½ (8 ounces)
0.23
1 (16 ounces)
0.45
1 ½
0.68
2
0.91
2 ½
1.13
3
1.36
U.S., Imperial, and Metric Conversions, Weight
Pounds
Stones
Kilograms
95
6.8
43.1
100
7.1
45.4
105
7.5
47.6
110
7.9
49.9
115
8.2
52.2
120
8.6
54.4
125
8.9
56.7
130
9.3
59.0
135
9.6
61.2
140
10.0
63.5
145
10.4
65.8
150
10.7
68.0
155
11.1
70.3
160
11.4
72.6
165
11.8
74.8
170
12.1
77.1
175
12.5
79.4
180
12.9
81.6
185
13.2
83.9
190
13.6
86.2
195
13.9
88.5
200
14.3
90.7
205
14.6
93.0
210
15.0
95.3
215
15.4
97.5
220
15.7
99.8
225
16.1
102.1
230
16.4
104.3
235
16.8
106.6
240
17.1
108.9
245
17.5
111.1
250
17.9
113.4
255
18.2
115.7
260
18.6
117.9
265
18.9
120.2
270
19.3
122.5
275
19.6
124.7
280
20.0
127.0
285
20.4
129.3
290
20.7
131.5
295
21.1
133.8
300
21.4
136.1
305
21.8
138.3
310
22.1
140.6
315
22.5
142.9
320
22.9
145.1
325
23.2
147.4
330
23.6
149.7
335
23.9
152.0
340
24.3
154.2
345
24.6
156.5
350
25.0
158.8
U.S. to Metric Conversions, Temperature
Degrees Fahrenheit
Degrees Celsius
300
149
325
163
350
177
375
191
400
204
425
218
450
232
475
246
U.S. to Metric Conversions, Volume (Dry and Liquid)
Teaspoons
Milliliters
¼
1
½
2
1
5
3 (1 tablespoon)
15
6 (2 tablespoons)
30
U.S. to Metric Conversions, Volume (Liquid)
Fluid Ounces
Milliliters
1
30
2
60
3
90
4
120
5
150
6
180
7
210
8
240
The following information is provided as a point of reference:
U.S. Conversions, Volume
3 teaspoons = 1 tablespoon
2 tablespoons = 1 fluid ounce
8 fluid ounces = 1 cup
2 cups = 1 pint
2 pints = 1 quart
Imperial Conversions, Volume
10 fluid ounces = 1 cup