High blood pressure is a major health problem with fully one third of American adults affected. High blood pressure is defined as blood pressure of 140/90 or above. High blood pressure can contribute to the incidence of stroke, heart attack and heart failure. It is most often treated with a combination of diet (including salt restriction), exercise and medication.
Dietary guidelines recommend that adults consume no more than 2400 milligrams of sodium per day, but consuming a diet heavy with prepared foods can put you well over that number. Even a seemingly healthy bowl of some types of raisin bran cereal can contain 350 milligrams of salt. Some canned soups contain over a 1000 milligrams in a one cup serving. With these levels of salt present it is not hard to go over the recommended 2400 milligrams.
The best way to limit salt in your diet is to prepare fresh foods. Rather than using canned vegetables, by fresh from the produce isles. Other prepared foods that are high in salt include many salad dressings and frozen prepared foods.
Follow these tips to lower your salt intake:
- Limit the amount of pre-packaged and pre-processed foods you consume on a daily basis. Prepare foods from scratch as much as possible and limit the amount of salt you use when cooking.
- If you don't have time to cook and must uses pre-packaged foods, read labels and look for items marked "low sodium".
- When eating out in restaurants avoid soups, stir-fry dishes, and foods with salty dressings or dipping sauces, instead choose dishes that are steamed or grilled.
