High blood pressure or hypertension is diagnosed when you have a chronic run of unsafe blood pressures. According to "Nutrition" by Frances Sizer and Eleanor Whitney, 90 percent of people aged 65 or older have high blood pressure. Diet, including lowered sodium intake, can help control high blood pressure.
Sodium Intake
Daily sodium intake for a healthy person should not exceed 2,400 mg. If you have high blood pressure and are eating a low-sodium diet, your intake should not exceed 1,500 mg. The average American diet consists of 3,000 mg for women and 4,000 mg of sodium for men.
DASH diet
The DASH diet, or dietary approach to stop hypertension, is an eating plan put together by the United States Department of Health and Human Services, aimed at lowering blood pressure by reducing sodium intake. The DASH diet recommends eating 1,500 mg of sodium or less. If you are on the DASH diet, you should get 27 percent of calories from fat, 55 percent of calories from carbohydrates and 18 percent of calories from protein.
Changing Your Diet
Changing your diet is not an easy thing to do. The Heart Failure Society of America outlines some easy changes to begin a low-sodium, heart healthy diet. You can begin by decreasing the amount of salt you add to your foods. When eating, don't put the salt shaker on the table and when cooking, omit salt from recipes. Choosing and substituting some foods for a low-sodium version can also help. Instead of baking a ham choose a pork roast or instead of eating salty deli meat cook yourself a chicken or turkey breast and use the meat for sandwiches.
Nutrition Labels
Nutrition labels are required on all foods. Reading and understanding labels can help your low-sodium lifestyle. Most processed foods contain high amounts of sodium, so look for a low-salt or no-salt version, if available. When reading a nutrition label, you should be conscious of the amount of sodium in a serving size. Some serving sizes are much lower than you might eat, so your sodium intake should be calculated accordingly.
Expert Insight
According to "Exercise Testing and Prescription" by David Nieman, there is a strong correlation between body weight and hypertension. High sodium intake can cause water retention and increase body weight. Maintaining a healthy body weight through diet and exercise can help reduce high blood pressure. Reducing salt consumption by just a 1/2 tsp. per day can reduce your blood pressure.
References
- "Nutrition: Concepts and Controversies"; Sizer, Frances, Whitney, Eleanor; 2004
- "Exercise Testing and Prescription"; Nieman, David C.; 2007
- "Your Guide to Lowering Your Blood Pressure with DASH"; United States Department of Health and Human Services; 2006
- "How to Follow a Low Sodium Diet"; Heart Failure Society of America; 2006
