DASH vs Mediterranean: Which Diet is Best for You?

Ready to find if the DASH or Mediterranean diet is best for you? Let’s chat! We will define the benefits of each and can get you results. So let’s talk solutions.

Here’s what we know…

Coach Austin, M.S., ACSM-CEP, here, many adults in the United States are getting diagnosed with high blood pressure. According to Sekkaire et al., (2024), the prevalence of adults diagnosed with high blood pressure (140/90 or higher) is growing. The researchers took data from 2017 to 2021. They found now that approximately 62% of United States citizens have high blood pressure.

Good news, this can be corrected but will take time. As over half of these individuals can modify their lifestyle. By improving their diet to a DASH or Mediterranean diet, along with increasing physical activity with steps and workouts.

But how? Here are some healthy recs.

Many doctors give general recommendations and don’t really follow up with their patients. So how would someone monitor their diet more accurately?

One way is to make small changes to portion sizes. You can also adjust the types of food to a low sodium, high protein, and high fiber diet.

That sounds simple, but is not easy.

Here’s where an individual would start. Here’s a breakdown of the minimum recommendations for vegetables, whole grains, and types of cooking oils in the DASH and Mediterranean diets:

DASH Diet

• Vegetables:
  • Recommended: 4-5 servings per day
  • Minimum: 3 servings per day
• Whole Grains:
  • Recommended: 6-8 servings per day (for a 2,000-calorie diet, make sure your diet is based on your maintenance calories )
  • Minimum: 4 servings per day
• Cooking Oils:
  • Recommended: Use healthy oils like olive oil, vegetable oils (e.g., canola, safflower), and other unsaturated fats.
  • Avoid: Saturated fats like butter, coconut oil, and lard.

Mediterranean Diet

• Vegetables:
  • Recommended: 4+ servings per day
  • Minimum: 2-3 servings per day
• Whole Grains:
  • Recommended: 3-6 servings per day, focusing on whole grains like barley, oats, quinoa, and whole wheat.
  • Minimum: 2 servings per day
• Cooking Oils:
  • Primary oil: Olive oil, especially extra virgin
  • Other acceptable oils: Canola oil and walnut oil (both of which provide similar benefits to olive oil)

Both diets emphasize the importance of minimizing trans fats and highly processed oils. The Mediterranean diet is particularly known for emphasizing olive oil. In contrast, the DASH diet allows a broader range of plant-based oils.

Another way is to use this with medication, exercise, and monitoring sleep and stress. At Fittwave, we take care of these factors monitoring performance and making wellness and fitness at your fingertips. You can check out our blog for FREE to learn more!

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• Sekkarie, A. (2024). Prevalence of self-reported hypertension and antihypertensive medication use among adults—United States, 2017–2021. MMWR. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, 73.