Dash Diet Vegetarian Meal Plan – Overview
DASH diet vegetarian meal plan mainly talks about the inclusion of plants and plant-based food into your regular dietary pattern.
While the regular dash diet also includes lean meats and poultry, this version is mainly for all the vegetarian people out there that are struggling with hypertension issues.
What can you eat while following the DASH diet vegetarian meal plan?
The diverse variety of foods it allows is one of the most appealing features of the DASH diet.
Fortunately, the food list that you can eat goes longer than the food list to be avoided, and it’s also easier to find those foods in any local grocery store.
The exact number of portions differs from person to person and hereby we are just presenting a general idea about the same.
Vegetables
Try to have 4 to 5 vegetable servings a day. A portion must consist of one cup of raw leafy vegetables, half-cup of raw or cooked vegetables, or one-half cup of 100% vegetable juice.
You can consume any vegetables of your choice like broccoli, beans, peas, kale, bell peppers, sweet potatoes and tomatoes
Fruits
The DASH diet vegetarian meal plan includes all kinds of fruits like apple, banana, grapefruit, orange, mango, peach, apricots, strawberries, tangerine, and so on.
Try to have 2-3 servings of fruits per day.
Grains
Brown rice, wild rice, and oats are among the best quality grains. All of these grains are an excellent fiber source while being gluten-free.
Buckwheat, amaranth, quinoa (technically the seed) are other gluten-free options.
Healthy Fats
Take two to three servings of healthy fat every day. A serving would count as one teaspoon of oil (olive, peanut, avocado, or coconut).
Additional sources of healthy fats include fresh almond butter and avocados.
Nuts, Seeds, & Legumes
Have 4 portions of these food items in a week. One serving consists of a third cup of nuts, two spoonfuls of nut or seed butter, two spoons of whole seed, or a half cup of cooked legumes.
Choose some good nuts, seeds, or legumes like lentils, navy beans, and kidney beans.
Low-Fat Dairy
DASH Diet vegetarian meal plan suggests dairy products that are fat-free or come in a low-fat version.
You can also try non-dairy yogurt, cheese, or milk options such as almond or coconut milk.
What not to consume during the DASH diet vegetarian meal plan?
Meat
On a DASH diet vegetarian meal plan, you should not ideally eat any kind of meat. You should avoid having beef, pork, and ham because they are high in saturated fat and sodium.
The vegetarian DASH Diet requires all meats, even slight cuts of chicken and fish, to be avoided.
Full-Fat Dairy
DASH diets restrict the amount of highly fatty milk, yogurt, cheese, and other milk items, given the high saturated fat content of those options.
Added Sugars & Sweets
No more than five servings of low-fat sweets are allowed a week in the DASH diet.
One tablespoon of sugar, jelly or jam, one cup of lemonade, and one-half cup of sorbet or gelatin dessert are a few of the examples. Skip refined sugar and opt for some fresh fruit if you are heavily craving a dessert
Sodium
The DASH Diet has two caps on sodium: 1.500 mg or 2.300 mg per day. While the former applies to a low sodium DASH diet, the latter is meant for the standard version.
Alcohol
The DASH Diet permits moderate alcoholic drink consumption. Moderation means no more than one drink a day in the case of women and for men the same limit is two drinks a day.
Please note that one drink is equivalent to 12 oz of standard beer, 5 oz of wine, or 1 1/2 oz of spirits.
Sample Menu for Dash Diet Vegetarian Meal Plan
Day 1
DASH diet vegetarian meal plan – Greek salad
Breakfast – 2 servings of oatmeal porridge with bananas.
Lunch – 2 servings of Greek Salad
Dinner- 1 serving of Whole-grain spaghetti with a lime sauce and spinach salad.
Day 2
DASH diet vegetarian meal plan – Tomato green beans soup
Breakfast – 1 serving of Coconut milk yogurt with walnut and berries.
Lunch – 2 servings of Almond roasted cauliflower with red lentil stew.
Dinner- 1 serving of Stuffed Zucchini with tomato green beans soup
Day 3
DASH diet vegetarian meal plan – Roasted tofu
Breakfast – 1 serving of Socca pancakes with fresh fruits.
Lunch – 2 servings of Roasted Tofu and peanut noodle Salad.
Dinner – 2 servings of Garlic Roasted Asparagus and mushrooms.
Day 4
DASH diet vegetarian meal plan – Raspberries
Breakfast – 2 servings of whole wheat cereal in nonfat milk with 1 cup of raspberries
Lunch – 2 servings of corn tortillas with 1 cup of pineapple
Dinner- 1 serving of faux pasta e Fagioli Alla Venezia with 1 cup of stone fruit salad
Day 5
DASH diet vegetarian meal plan – Coconut milk yogurt with walnut and berries
Breakfast – 1 serving of Coconut milk yogurt with walnut and berries.
Lunch – 2 servings of Roasted Tofu and peanut noodle Salad.
Dinner- 1 serving of Stuffed Zucchini with tomato green beans soup
Day 6
DASH diet vegetarian meal plan – Spinach salad
Breakfast – 1 serving of Whole-grain spaghetti with a lime sauce and spinach salad.
Lunch – 2 servings of Almond roasted cauliflower with red lentil stew.
Dinner – 1 serving of Garlic Roasted Asparagus and mushrooms.
Day 7.
DASH diet vegetarian meal plan – Fruit salad
Breakfast – 2 servings of Roasted Tofu and peanut noodle Salad.
Lunch – 1 serving of Coconut milk yogurt with walnut and berries.
Dinner- 1 serving of faux pasta e fagioli alla venezia with 1 cup of stone fruit salad
Summing up
Keep a food log for one or two days and monitor what and how much you are consuming during this DASH diet vegetarian meal plan at each meal.
This way, you can get the best out of this diet plan, while also not compromising your vegetarianism in the process.
See Also
7 Day Intermittent Fasting Diet Meal Plan
