Living a healthy lifestyle and eating a balanced diet play a large role in longevity and heart health. Current research suggests that adopting a diet that is high in potassium while also low in sodium may help decrease blood pressure and the risk of suffering from a heart attack, stroke, heart failure and damage to your kidneys.
Potassium and Blood Pressure
Having high blood pressure puts unnecessary strain on all the organs in your body. Over time, this can lead to heart attack, stroke, heart failure and kidney disease. Potassium plays a role in hindering the proposed blood pressure-elevating effects of sodium, so including an adequate amount of foods containing potassium in your diet, or about 4,700 mg per day, can help regulate blood pressure. Eating plenty of foods with potassium, along with a diet low in sodium, can help keep your heart and other organs healthy.
Good Sources of Potassium
Several foods high in potassium are also high in several other nutrients, including vitamins, minerals and fiber. The best sources of potassium include potatoes, sweet potatoes, bananas, tomatoes, mushrooms, spinach and other greens, milk and yogurt, oranges, orange juice, raisins; and melon. Fresh foods with high potassium levels are naturally low in sodium; adding these foods to your diet in place of high-sodium foods can help you increase your potassium and decrease your sodium intake at the same time.
Sodium and Blood Pressure
Sodium, or salt, is believed to play a role in the development of high blood pressure. It is currently believed that having a high-sodium diet leads to excess water retention by your body. This extra fluid increases the amount of work your heart has to do, which over time may cause damage. Keeping your salt intake within the recommendations may be the most effective way to keep your blood pressure under control. Unfortunately, most Americans consume about 3,300 to 4,200 mg of sodium each day, greatly exceeding the recommendation of no more than 1,500 mg daily.
Tips to Limit Sodium
Luckily, you can cut down on your intake of sodium in several ways. One of the easiest is to remove your salt shaker from the kitchen table and use as little added salt as possible when cooking. Good salt substitutions include vinegar, citrus juice, such as lemons and limes, and other fresh herbs and spices, including fresh ground black pepper, garlic and onion powders, and any other fresh herbs you like. Watch out for any seasonings that have the word "salt" on the label, such as seasoning salt, garlic salt or onion salt. Limit canned, processed, frozen and fast foods as well, as these tend to contain high levels of sodium. Aim to make the majority of the food you eat fresh and you will be on the right track to cutting down on your sodium intake and keeping your heart healthy.
References
- American Heart Association; Potassium and High Blood Pressure; January 2011
- American Heart Association; Managing Blood Pressure With a Heart-Healthy Diet; April 2011
- U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; Your Guide to Lowering Your Blood Pressure With DASH; April 2006
- American Heart Association; Shaking the Salt Habit; April 2011
- PubMed Health; Hypertension; July 29, 2010
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