Your doctor may recommend a low sodium diet if your blood pressure is too high. One of the more successful eating plans, the DASH diet, is the model for the dietary guidelines established by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Both set limits on your sodium intake. Because sodium in food is usually measured in milligrams, it's more convenient to convert the grams in a low sodium diet into this measurement for easier shopping and food preparation.
About Sodium
Consuming excess sodium can increase your body fluid, which in turn causes high blood pressure that taxes your heart. The American Heart Association states that if your blood pressure is 120/80 Hg or above, you may be a candidate for a low sodium diet. One successful low sodium eating plan, the DASH diet, lets you take points off your blood pressure in only 14 days. And according to MayoClinic.com, your blood pressure may drop another 8 to 14 more points if you continue to eat the diet.
The DASH Diet
The Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension or DASH diet was given top ranking by "U.S. News and World Report" in June 2011. This diet caps sodium intake but also focuses on eating healthy meals and snacks rich in fruit, vegetables, whole grains low-fat dairy foods. Lean sources of protein, such as chicken, fish and legumes, are also on the DASH diet, as is red meat, desserts and fats, but only in small amounts. The DASH diet also restricts total fat, saturated fat and cholesterol. According to MayoClinic.com, there are two versions of this diet. The standard DASH diet lets you have up to 2.3 g sodium daily, while the lower sodium version of the diet lets you have no more than 1.5 g.
In its 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, the USDA recommended no more than 1.5 g or 1,500 mg of sodium for adults over 51, as well as African Americans and those with diabetes, hypertension and kidney disease. The American Heart Association takes a more conservative approach to sodium and recommends that all Americans, regardless of age, race or health status get no more than 1.5 g sodium a day.
Milligrams to Grams
Sodium is listed in milligrams rather than grams on the Nutrition Facts panel of the food you buy. A simpler way to remember how much sodium you can have on the standard DASH diet or the lower sodium DASH diet is to convert grams to milligrams. This translates into 2,300 and 1,500 mg sodium, respectively. (Ref 5, 6)
Other Sodium Tips
Tracking your sodium intake can be challenging. When you purchase food, the Nutrition Facts panel on the item can tell you if your choice is high in sodium. If one serving of the food gives you 20 percent of your daily value, or DV, or more, this is considered high. Aim for food that gives you 5 percent or less of your DV for sodium per serving. The AHA indicates that processed foods such as canned soups, tomato sauce, condiments, prepared mixed, chips, lunch meat and hot dogs tend to contain a lot of salt. Choose fresh vegetables, fruit and meat or look for canned, frozen and boxed foods with "no salt added" on the label. (Ref 4, 5)
References
- MayoClinic.com; DASH Diet: Healthy Eating to Lower Your Blood Pressure; May 2010
- DASHdiet.org: The DASH Diet Eating Plan
- TheHeart.org; Updated USDA Dietary Guidelines Fall Short: AHA; E. Hitt; February 2011
- American Heart Association; Shaking the Salt Habit; April 2011
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration; How to Understand and Use the Nutrition Facts Label; March 2011
- Metric-Conversions.org: Milligrams to Grams
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