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• The DASH and Mediterranean diets are considered to be among the healthiest ways to eat.
• The diets are similar and focus on whole foods.
• There are key differences in their approach to alcohol and potential effect on blood pressure.

The Mediterranean diet and the DASH diet are considered among the healthiest ways to eat by experts — so what's the difference between the two?

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The Mediterranean diet is based on the food that people traditionally ate in places around the southern European sea that gives it its name, including Greece, Italy, and Spain, and so prioritizes whole foods such as vegetables, fruits, legumes, olive oil, beans, nuts, and seafood. The amount of processed foods and added sugar in the diet is kept to a minimum, and it includes far less meat than is eaten on average in the US. It has been named the healthiest way to eat for six years in a row by the US World News and Report, with DASH coming joint second this year.

The DASH diet similarly focuses on fruits, vegetables, and legumes, as well as other whole foods such as whole grains, low-fat dairy products, nuts, and skinless fish and poultry. It also includes low amounts of processed foods and added sugars, but focuses on reducing salt and saturated fats. It was ranked top in a list of heart-healthy diets by the American Heart Association earlier this year.

Dr. Amit Khera, who has helped to formulate AHA diet guidelines and is a professor of medicine and the director of the preventive cardiology program at UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, told the AHA in 2019 that the DASH diet and the Mediterranean diet are more alike than they are different.

But there are two key differences between the two diets.

The Mediterranean diet is less strict about alcohol

The biggest difference between what the Mediterranean and DASH diets allow you to consume is alcohol.

Typically, if you're following the Mediterranean diet, you can drink a moderate amount of alcohol, usually wine, with meals — no more than one glass of wine a day for women or two for men, according to The Mayo Clinic said. It's important to note that the World Health Organization says that there is no safe amount of alcohol that does not affect health.

The DASH diet, however, is very low in alcohol. Dietitian Danielle Smith told Insider that she tells her clients who follow DASH diet to only have one drink on one or two nights a week, because it is inflammatory and because it lowers inhibition, which can lead to unhealthy food choices.

The DASH diet is thought to be better at lowering blood pressure

The AHA ranked the DASH diet above the Mediterranean diet for heart health because the latter doesn't focus on reducing the amount of salt in your diet, whereas the DASH diet does.

The DASH diet was formulated to prevent or reduce hypertension, or high blood pressure, through reducing the amount of salt and maximizing nutrients linked to lowering blood pressure.

Salt makes your body retain water. Eating too much salt increases the amount of water in the blood, putting pressure on blood vessels and leading to higher blood pressure. Reducing your salt intake, for example through following the DASH diet, can lower blood — potentially within a few weeks — according to the charity Blood Pressure UK.

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