Approximately one in three adults in the United States has high blood pressure, or hypertension. If your blood pressure stays high for an extended period of time, it can damage your blood vessels and your heart as well as your kidneys. While some risk factors for high blood pressure may be out of your control, you can control some risk factors, such as the amount of sodium you consume.
Physiology
Salt retains water. When we consume salt, our kidneys retain fluid through a process called osmosis in an effort to balance out the concentration of our fluid. While this mechanism is an important survival tool, it can become dangerous with the overconsumption of sodium.
When you consume too much sodium, your body retains so much fluid that it leads to an increase in the amount of water in your blood, which increases blood volume. As blood volume increases, it exerts more pressure on the walls of your arteries. This pressure puts excess stress on the blood vessels, triggering them to become hard and thick to compensate. The combination of increased blood volume and hardened, thickened arteries makes it more difficult for blood to flow through the blood vessels. In turn, the heart must pump harder to get blood through the blood vessels. Over time, this can cause excessive damage to the blood vessels and lead to heart failure.
Sodium Recommendations
General dietary guidelines recommend that adults consume no more than 2,300 mg of sodium per day. This amount is equivalent to approximately 1 tsp. If you belong to certain high risk groups, however, your sodium recommendation drops significantly. If you are over the age of 50 or African-American, limit your sodium intake to less than 1,500 mg per day. This 1,500 mg per day recommendation also applies if you already have high blood pressure or have diabetes or chronic kidney disease.
Tips to Reduce Salt Intake
The American Heart Association notes that most of the sodium you ingest comes from the salt in packaged and processed foods. Restaurant foods also contribute significant amounts of sodium. Only a small percentage of the sodium you consume comes from the salt added to foods during cooking and directly before eating.
Eliminating packaged and processed foods can help reduce the amount of sodium you consume. Some of the biggest culprits include canned soups and frozen entrees. Replace these items with fresh fruits and vegetables and prepare your own soups and entrees at home without adding salt. When you cook, experiment with fresh herbs and sodium-free spices instead of using salt to flavor your dishes.
If you are in a bind and do not have time to prepare a fresh meal, opt for sodium-free or low-sodium versions of convenience foods. While these foods may still contain some sodium, the amounts will be significantly reduced. Rinsing canned foods can also help reduce the amount of sodium that eventually ends up in your body.
Considerations
Although lowering sodium intake is a significant step in reducing high blood pressure, it is not the only lifestyle change to make. In addition to reducing sodium, you should also limit your intake of high-fat and high-cholesterol foods and focus on a diet that is rich in fruits, vegetables, lean protein, whole grains and low-fat dairy. Regular exercise can also help you lose weight, which will contribute to lower your blood pressure.
