DASH Diet vs Paleo Diet
A side-by-side comparison — no verdict on which is "better," just how they differ.
DASH Diet
An NIH-developed eating pattern built specifically to lower blood pressure, using serving-based targets across food groups plus a sodium limit rather than food bans.
View full DASH Diet page →Paleo Diet
Modeled on a presumed hunter-gatherer eating pattern — lean meats, fish, fruit, vegetables, nuts and seeds — excluding grains, legumes, dairy, refined sugar, and processed foods.
View full Paleo Diet page →Typical Foods
DASH DietVegetables, fruits, whole grains, low-fat/fat-free dairy, lean protein (poultry, fish), nuts/seeds/legumes a few times a week — defined daily serving counts.
Paleo DietGrass-fed beef, chicken, wild-caught salmon, eggs, almonds, walnuts, pumpkin seeds, berries, apples, leafy greens, broccoli, sweet potatoes, olive oil, avocado.
Foods to Avoid
DASH DietTable salt/high-sodium foods, cured and deli meats, canned soups, red meat, full-fat dairy, sugary drinks, sweets — limited by serving count, not excluded outright.
Paleo DietWheat bread and pasta, rice, oats, beans and lentils, peanuts, milk, cheese and yogurt, table sugar, chips, and packaged snacks.
Eating Pattern
DASH DietNo specific eating window — serving-count structure (6–8 grains, 4–5 vegetables, 4–5 fruits, 2–3 dairy servings/day, etc.) plus a 2,300mg (or 1,500mg) sodium target, based on a 2,000 kcal reference diet.
Paleo DietNo specific eating window — restricts food categories, not calories, macros, or timing.
Primary Goal
DASH DietLower blood pressure.
Paleo DietGeneral health by cutting processed foods, added sugar, and refined carbs, modeled on ancestral eating.
Best For
DASH DietPeople with hypertension, prehypertension, or elevated cardiovascular risk who want a produce-and-whole-grain pattern with RCT evidence behind the blood-pressure claim.
Paleo DietPeople who feel or perform better cutting out processed foods, added sugar, and refined carbs generally, regardless of whether the ancestral framing itself holds up.
Macro Emphasis
DASH DietNone — no calorie-restriction or macro-ratio mechanism of its own.
Paleo DietNone specified — restricts food categories, not macro ratios.
Health Condition Relevance
DASH DietHypertension/prehypertension, cardiovascular risk; secondary cohort evidence for lower kidney stone risk.
Paleo DietModest improvements in glucose tolerance (small RCT in people with ischemic heart disease), weight, waist circumference, blood pressure, and lipids in a meta-analysis — evidence the study authors themselves call “not conclusive.”
Evidence Strength
DASH DietStrong — an NIH-developed clinical intervention, with controlled feeding trials (original 1997 trial, DASH-Sodium) through large long-term cohorts.
Paleo DietLimited/thinner — real but noticeably thinner and shorter-term than Mediterranean or DASH; a supporting meta-analysis had published calculation-error concerns, and the “one ancestral diet” premise has been directly challenged in the scientific literature.
Restrictiveness
DASH DietModerate — works through serving-based targets and a sodium ceiling rather than food bans, but hitting the sodium target usually means cooking more from scratch.
Paleo DietHigh — restricts entire food categories (grains, legumes, dairy) rather than counting anything.
Cost / Accessibility
DASH DietFresh produce plus lean protein can raise grocery cost and prep time versus processed staples; dairy servings may not suit anyone lactose-intolerant or vegan without substitution.
Paleo DietPaleo-compliant meat, fish, nuts, and produce typically cost more than the grain, legume, and dairy staples it excludes.
Educational only, not medical advice. Want to compare a different pair? Back to Diet Arena.