Salt (Sodium) And High Blood Pressure
One compound that has been around for thousands of years and which is used both as a preservative and to add taste to our food is salt. Unfortunately, while salt is a very valuable and necessary part of our diet, too much salt is a major contributory factor when it comes to high blood pressure.
Salt is composed of both sodium and chloride and, in terms of high blood pressure, it is the amount of sodium which you consume that needs to be watched.
On the one hand controlling your salt intake is fairly easy and is simply a matter of limiting the amount of salt which you add to food when cooking and which you put on your food at the table. On the other hand it can also be quite difficult to control your salt intake because the majority in salt in your diet is contained in a huge variety of processed foods which most of us buy and consume every day.
If you are looking to prevent the onset of high blood pressure, or to reduce an existing condition, you should limit your salt (sodium) intake to a maximum of 2,400 milligrams (mg) a day which works out at about 1 teaspoon a day.
Here are 6 tips to help you to lower your salt intake:
- Remove the salt shaker from your table. A balanced daily diet will already contain sufficient sodium and you certainly do not need to add more salt at the table.
- Read food labels when shopping. Food labeling laws have improved considerably in recent years and most foods will now carry nutritional information, including the amount of sodium contained expressed in both milligrams of content and as a percentage of the daily recommended intake.
Be careful when reading food labels to ascertain whether the sodium figure given applies to the whole of the product (package, tin etc.) or is a 'per serving' figure.
- Look for 'sodium free' or 'very low sodium' products. Many manufacturers today are aware of the dangers of too much salt in the diet and now produce food options which are labeled as 'sodium free', 'very low sodium', low sodium', 'reduced sodium', 'light in sodium' or 'unsalted'.
Where a label states 'low sodium', 'reduced sodium' or something similar you should still check the nutritional information to see just how much sodium the manufacturer considers to be 'low' or 'reduced'.
- Choose low salt snacks. If you like to snack then try to stick to such things as fruit and vegetables. If you can't live without your crisps and nuts, then choose varieties that are low in sodium or salt free.
- Eat fresh or frozen lean meat, fish, poultry and vegetables. Most salt is added to food during processing and this can often be avoided by buying food items that are essentially unprocessed. For example, buying fresh (uncooked) vegetables that are frozen is preferably to buying canned vegetables, which are often canned in salted water.
- Season food with spices and herbs. Instead of adding salt to your food at the table and seasoning your food with such things as ketchup, trying adding herbs and spices like parsley, oregano, garlic powder, vinegar or fresh fruit juice.
If you would like more information about pursuing a sound low sodium and high blood pressure diet please see foods that lower blood pressure or the DASH diet for high blood pressure
Recommended products from
Omron HEM-780/HEM-780N3 Automatic Blood Pressure Monitor with ComFit Cuff
Amazon Price: $59.32
Customer Review: I am a school nurse and purchased the Omron automatic BP cuff for use in the clinic. It is simple enough that staff can take their own blood pressures when I am not there. I really like that it has an a/c adapter. It is very accurate.
Omron HEM-790IT Automatic Blood Pressure Monitor with Advanced Omron Health M...
Amazon Price: $70.90
Customer Review: I am very satisfied with the unit I purchased. My doctor advised me to purchase a BP unit to monitor my BP on a daily basis since having been diagmosed with high BP. It has a place for two persons to monitor their BP and my wife has been using the unit also. It came with sofeware and USB cable to download the daily/weekly/monthly results to the ...
Omron HEM-650 Wrist Blood Pressure Monitor with APS (Advanced Positioning Sen...
Amazon Price: $49.99
Customer Review: My wife used it about 4 days and now it does not beep until it hears the heart beat but just takes off and is inaccurate.
The $32 Billion Food Additive - Seattle Post Intelligencer (blog)
9 Mar 2010 at 9:04am
Seattle Post Intelligencer (blog)
The $32 Billion Food Additive
Seattle Post Intelligencer (blog)
The net effect is to increase the fluid content in circulation, which results in higher blood pressure. High blood pressure, as you all know, ...
and mor...
Federal panel sounds alarm on national hypertension 'emergency' - Los Angeles...
22 Feb 2010 at 1:07pm
Federal panel sounds alarm on national hypertension 'emergency'
Los Angeles Times
The incidence of high blood pressure in this country has reached emergency proportions, said Dr. David W. Fleming, the health officer for Seattle & King ...
Report Call...
ASK A DOCTOR: Prevention best when it comes to kidney disease - Wisconsin Rap...
8 Mar 2010 at 3:58am
eYugoslavia.com
ASK A DOCTOR: Prevention best when it comes to kidney disease
Wisconsin Rapids Tribune
The most common risk factors for kidney disease are high blood pressure and diabetes. You can take many steps to lower your blood pressure. ...
Lovi...
|
