I have been cooking the DASH way (that is, according to the nutritional guidelines found in the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) every day for many years. I could be the poster girl for the diet! Not because I have written two books on the subject (The DASH Diet Action Plan and The DASH Diet Weight Loss Solution), but because I have lived the DASH lifestyle and experienced firsthand how delicious and easy the diet can be. And now The Everyday DASH Diet Cookbook shares my favorite recipes.
The DASH plan has positively affected the lives of hundreds of thousands of people. (For three years in a row, it was ranked #1 in Best Diets Overall by U.S. News & World Report, which is quite a distinction. I am also proud that the Huffington Post cited The DASH Diet Action Plan as one of the top fifty most life-changing health books.) I have talked to countless DASH fans at personal appearances, book signings, lectures, and the like, as well as in e-mails via my website. And in our conversations, recipes are a constant topic. My first two books contained just enough recipes to whet your appetite for the wonderful variety offered by DASH. I knew that cooking the DASH way was a big subject that deserved its own book. And here it is.
A few years ago at a writers’ conference, I met Rick Rodgers, a prolific cookbook writer and recipe developer for many food producers. When I realized how helpful a complete cookbook would be to DASH fans, I enlisted Rick to help me put the recipes on paper. What you now see is the result of our work together—fresh, flavorful recipes for the entire family, designed for the busy home cook.
With the over 150 recipes in The Everyday DASH Diet Cookbook, you can put my favorite DASH recipes into action. Energize yourself for the entire day with a quick breakfast sandwich or smoothie. (You’ll find some special weekend brunch treats for lingering over the Sunday paper, too.) At lunchtime, dig into a big main-course salad, topped with one of the many light salad dressings I’ve provided. Serve a hearty, vegetable-packed dinner with a sensible amount of meat, poultry, or seafood (or choose one of my meatless main courses). I’ve given you new ways to make your favorite comfort foods. Do you crave pasta? Go ahead, but serve zesty tomato sauce on a smaller amount of whole-grain pasta bulked up with lots of vegetables. You’ll find a long list of simple side dishes to round out the meal, as well as DASH-friendly desserts to satisfy your sweet tooth. And to help you see how the recipes fit into your plan, I’ve provided a nutritional analysis for each one to help you stay on track.
Although this isn’t a “fast and easy” cookbook, the recipes were created with everyday cooking in mind, made with ingredients that you are likely to have on hand or can easily find at the supermarket. The foundation of the DASH diet is plant-based foods and heart-healthy vegetable fats such as olive oil, along with low-fat and nonfat dairy, fish and seafood, lean meats, and poultry. That is a huge variety! And I make the most of it with recipes from around the world.
The Everyday DASH Diet Cookbook is loaded with dishes that you can and will make on a weeknight, without fuss but with lots of flavor. There are also “company-worthy” recipes and those to cook when you want to splurge. With this cookbook by your side in the kitchen, you will never have to worry about how to make a fabulous, good-for-you meal for the entire family.
—Marla Heller