How do you build a DASH meal plan for a client with high blood pressure?
In short: DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) is an eating pattern built around vegetables, fruit, whole grains, low-fat dairy, nuts, seeds and legumes. It limits foods high in saturated fat and added sugars. At 2,000 kcal, the standard DASH plan includes around 4–5 servings each of vegetables and fruit, 6–8 servings of grains and 2–3 servings of low-fat dairy per day. The NHLBI DASH plan limits sodium to 2,300 mg/day, with 1,500 mg/day providing additional blood-pressure reduction. In the original controlled DASH trial, the diet lowered blood pressure by 11.4/5.5 mmHg more than the control diet in participants with hypertension.
1 min 16 s videoCaptions onUpdated 5 October 2026
What the trials showed
The first DASH trial, published in 1997, fed 459 adults all their food for eight weeks. Compared with a typical American control diet, the DASH pattern lowered blood pressure by 5.5/3.0 mmHg overall and by 11.4/5.5 mmHg in participants with hypertension. Sodium and body weight were held steady, so the change came from the pattern itself.
The DASH-Sodium trial in 2001 then tested three sodium levels (approximately 3,450, 2,300 and 1,150 mg/day at an energy intake of 2,100 kcal) within both the DASH and control diets. Compared with the control diet at the highest sodium level, the DASH diet at the lowest sodium level produced a systolic blood pressure that was 7.1 mmHg lower in participants without hypertension and 11.5 mmHg lower in those with hypertension. Reducing sodium lowered blood pressure on both dietary patterns, while DASH also lowered blood pressure at each sodium level.
One caveat for practice: these were controlled feeding studies in which food was provided to participants. In free-living practice, adherence to both the dietary pattern and sodium targets may vary, so focus on practical changes the client can maintain.
The daily servings at 2,000 kcal
These are the US National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) targets. The serving sizes are American, so convert them to the units you and your client use.
| Food group | Servings | One serving is about |
|---|---|---|
| Grains, mostly whole | 6 to 8 a day | 1 slice of bread, or ½ cup cooked rice or pasta |
| Vegetables | 4 to 5 a day | 1 cup raw leafy greens, or ½ cup cooked vegetables |
| Fruit | 4 to 5 a day | 1 medium piece of fruit, or ½ cup fresh or frozen |
| Low-fat or fat-free dairy | 2 to 3 a day | 1 cup (about 240 ml) milk or yoghurt |
| Lean meat, poultry and fish | 6 or fewer a day | 1 oz (28 g) cooked, so 6 servings is about 170 g in total |
| Nuts, seeds and legumes | 4 to 5 a week | ⅓ cup nuts, or ½ cup cooked legumes |
| Fats and oils | 2 to 3 a day | 1 teaspoon of oil or soft margarine |
| Sweets and added sugars | 5 or fewer a week | 1 tablespoon of sugar or jam |
For many clients, one of the biggest changes is increasing fruit and vegetable intake towards the DASH targets. If their current intake is much lower, build this up progressively rather than trying to change everything on day one.
Getting sodium down
The main sources of sodium vary with dietary habits, but in many countries a large proportion comes from processed and frequently consumed foods such as bread, processed meats, cheese, ready-made foods, sauces and stock cubes, rather than salt added at the table. UK and Australian labels often show salt rather than sodium, so give clients the conversion.
Salt (g) = sodium (g) × 2.5 2,300 mg sodium × 2.5 = 5.75 g salt 1,500 mg sodium × 2.5 = 3.75 g salt
- Swap to tinned legumes and vegetables with no added salt, and rinse them.
- Cook with garlic, herbs, spices, citrus and vinegar to add flavour without relying on salt.
- Compare bread and breakfast cereals by sodium per 100 g. The range between brands is wide.
- Taste preferences can adapt gradually to a lower-sodium diet, so reducing salt progressively may make the change easier to maintain.
Who needs a check before you start
DASH is naturally high in potassium; the NHLBI plan is designed to provide around 4,700 mg/day. For most people this is a feature of the diet, but potassium intake may need to be individualised in people at risk of hyperkalaemia, including some people with kidney disease or taking medications that affect potassium balance. Where this is relevant, check the client's clinical guidance or liaise with their medical or renal team rather than automatically applying the standard DASH potassium intake.
Clients taking antihypertensive medication should continue to monitor their blood pressure as dietary and lifestyle changes are introduced. If blood pressure falls substantially or they develop symptoms such as dizziness or light-headedness, they should contact their prescribing clinician. Medication adjustment is the responsibility of the prescriber.
DASH is one part of blood-pressure management. Where relevant, weight management, moderating alcohol intake and regular physical activity can provide additional benefit and should be considered alongside the dietary pattern.
How to do it in Foodzilla
Foodzilla has a DASH health label for the meal plan generator, a Low-Sodium nutrient focus, sodium and food group goals on the client's profile, and a ready-made DASH week to start from.
- 1Open the client's Health & Diet Goals. On the Nutrition tab, set Daily Sodium In to 2300 or 1500 mg. On the Serving Sizes tab, set Daily Vegetables, Daily Fruit, Daily Grains / Bread and Daily Animal Milk / Dairy to the DASH servings. The client sees their food servings against these goals in their app.
- 2On the Diet Preferences tab (Professional plan and above), tick DASH under Health & Allergies.
- 3Go to Meal Plans, choose the client and press Auto-Generate. DASH is already selected under Dietary needs & ingredients, and it's one of the labels that needs the Professional plan or above. For a stricter plan, open Nutrient focus and choose Low-Sodium (≤160mg), which only allows recipes with 160 mg of sodium or less per serving.
- 4Press Generate plan. In the Planner, click each day's Nutrition row and find Sodium under Minerals. Its % Daily and RDI columns use the reference value for the client's age and sex, not the Daily Sodium In you set, so compare the amount with your target yourself.
- 5To start from a finished week, choose New Plan, then Import From Template, and pick DASH Plan 2000 kcal, Low Sodium & Cholesterol Plan 2000 kCal or Very-Low Sodium Plan 1800 kcal from the Templates Database.
- 6For your own recipes, open the recipe's Labels section and add DASH under Health Labels. With Use my recipes first turned on in Auto-Generate, the generator can then pick them.
Good to know
- Use the low-sodium filter selectivelyA low-sodium recipe filter can be useful when building the plan, but you don't need every individual recipe to meet a specific low-sodium threshold. Check the client's overall daily sodium intake against their target and use the DASH pattern as the basis of the plan.
- Use home readings where appropriateHome blood pressure monitoring can help clients and their healthcare team see how blood pressure changes over time. Encourage clients who monitor at home to use a validated device and follow the measurement schedule and technique recommended by their healthcare professional.