What is the relationship between sodium and high blood pressure?
Heavy sodium intake increases blood pressure in some people. Your doctor may recommend a sodium (salt) restricted diet to help lower your blood pressure. That means you will have to avoid salty foods, reduce or eliminate salt in cooking and refrain from adding salt at the table. The American Heart Association recommends that healthy adults reduce their sodium intake to no more than 2400 milligrams per day. This is about 1-1/4 teaspoons of salt. Substitute herbs and spices for the salt in your cooking. Experiment with different combinations. Choose fresh or frozen foods over canned products. If you eat canned products, rinse the salt from the foods. Use fewer “instant” products. When dining out, ask the waiter to have your meal prepared without any added salt. Get in the habit of reading food labels. You can look for the different sodium compounds that are added to foods. Watch for the words “soda” “sodium” and the symbol “Na” on labels. These indicate that the product contains sodium c
