Hypertension (blood pressure) and how it affects the understanding of hypertension, sodium blood pressure. The main sources of sodium in the average U.S. diet. However, a pinch of salt and a dash can quickly add up to unhealthy levels of sodium, especially when many foods already contain more than enough sodium. About 11 percent of sodium in the average U.S. diet comes from adding salt or other sodium-containing condiments to foods while cooking or eating. However, most of the sodium 77 percent comes from eating prepared or processed foods. So, although you May limit the amount of salt added to food, feed, but can be high in sodium.
Sodium : Essential in small amounts
Your body needs some sodium to function properlySodium:
Helps maintain fluid balance in the body
Assists the transmission of nerve impulses
Influences the contraction and relaxation of muscles
Kidneys regulate the amount of sodium kept in your body. When sodium levels low, your kidneys conserve sodium. When levels are high, they excrete the excess in the urine. If the kidneys can not eliminate enough sodium, sodium starts to accumulate in the blood. Because sodium attracts and holds water, your blood volume increases. Increased blood volume, in turn, makes your heart work harder to move more blood through the blood vessels, increasing the pressure in the arteries. Certain diseases such as congestive heart failure, cirrhosis and chronic kidney disease can lead to an inability to regulate sodium. Some people are sensitive to the effects of sodium than others. People who are sodium sensitive retain sodium more easily, leading to excess fluid retention and high blood pressure. If you are in that group, extra sodium in your diet increases the chance of developing high blood pressure, a condition that can lead to cardiovascular and renal diseases.
So how to identify foods high in sodium?
The best way to determine sodium content is to read food labels. Nutritional label tells you how much sodium is in each serving. He also says that if salt or sodium compounds containing ingredients. Examples of these compounds are:
Monosodium glutamate (MSG)
Baking soda
Baking powder
Disodium phosphate
Sodium alginate
Sodium nitrate or nitrite
The three main sources of sodium
The average U.S. diet has three main sources of sodium:
Processing and preparation of food. Most sodium in the diet of a person comes from eating processed and prepared foods such as canned vegetables, soups, lunch meats and frozen foods. Food manufacturers use salt or other sodium containing compounds to preserve food and enhance the flavor and texture of food.
Sodium contains spices. One teaspoon of salt has 2325 mg sodium, and 1 tablespoon soy sauce has 1005 mg sodium. Adding these or other sodium-laden condiments to your meals either while cooking or at the table. Increases the sodium count of food
Natural sources of sodium. Sodium occurs naturally in some foods such as meat, poultry, dairy products and vegetables. For example, 1 cup low-fat milk has about 110 mg sodium.
The taste alone can not tell you which foods are high in sodium. For example, you can think a bagel tastes salty, but the four-inch oat-bran bun has 451 mg sodium.
How to reduce sodium intake
You May or May not be particularly sensitive to the effects of sodium. And since there is no way to know who might develop high blood pressure as a result of the high sodium diet, choose and prepare foods with less sodium.
Can control the sodium intake in several ways:
Eat more fresh foods and fewer processed foods. Eating lots of fresh fruits and vegetables. They do not need to add salt. They also increase potassium stores, which helps lower blood pressure.
Opt for low-sodium products. Look for unsalted snacks (if necessary) and foods that have reduced sodium.
Remove salt from recipes whenever possible. You can omit the salt in many recipes, including casseroles, stews and other main dishes. Baked goods are an exception. Leaving the salt can affect the quality and taste of food.
Limit your use of sodium-laden condiments. Salad dressings, sauces, dips, ketchup, mustard and enjoy all contain sodium.
Use herbs, spices and others to enhance the flavor of food. Learn how to taste food with lemon juice, parsley, tarragon, garlic, onions, or instead of salt.
Use salt substitutes wisely. Some salt substitutes or light salts contain a mixture of salt (sodium chloride), and other compounds. To achieve that familiar salty taste, you can use too much of a substitute and actually not reduce sodium intake. In addition, many salt substitutes contain potassium chloride. Although dietary potassium can lessen some adverse effects of excess sodium, too much supplemental potassium can be harmful if you have kidney problems or if you are taking medications for congestive heart failure or high blood pressure that causes retention of potassium.
Learn more about Label Terms for Sodium
Here's what food product labels tell you about sodium:
- Sodium Free Less than 5 milligrams of sodium per serving low-sodium 140 mg or less sodium per serving
- Reduced/Lower Sodium least 25% less sodium per serving when compared to similar foods
- Added without salt is not salt is added during processing (when this product is usually processed with salt). The product may not be sodium free food, so check the nutrition facts
Diet very low in fat, but the fiber lowers blood pressure by about 10 percent and no weight loss or salt restriction .. Every third adult in North America have high blood pressure. This puts them at risk for heart failure, stroke and other debilitating diseases. Obesity, narrowed arteries, smoking, lack of exercise, estrogen, alcohol, and high salt intake contributes to the problem. Fortunately, in most cases of hypertension can be reversed in the weeks simple dietary and lifestyle changes. If you follow the eighth laws of health will have great results that include: Nutrition-Exercises-Water-Sunshine Temperance Air-Other-Trust in divine power of the.
Encouragement: "Let the morning bring me word of his unfailing love, for I put my trust in you Show me the way I should go, for you I lift up my soul .." Psalm 143:8
Sources:
1. Department of Agriculture, Nutrient Data Laboratory, 2005
2. New England Journal of Medicine (1997) Dr. Lawrence J. Appel of Johns Hopkins.
3. Heath is a choice not by chance. Aileen Ludington, MD & Hans Diehl, DRHSC, MPH, 2005
