The goal of most diets is weight loss. But continually losing and gaining weight — because you almost definitely will gain it back — is a vicious cycle that has a nasty effect on your health. Yo-yo dieting slows your metabolism, messes with your microbiome, and tanks your mental health. But not all “diets” are bad, particularly when you look at them more as a lifestyle, a way of eating you follow for the long haul and not just as a fleeting path to your summer beach bod. This kind of lifestyle diet can actually be great for your health, protecting you against heart disease, the leading cause of death in the United States. So, what’s the superstar diet that cardiologists love? Meet: the DASH diet.