Eating too much salt can cause high blood pressure, fluid retention called edema, and also increase your risk for heart disease and kidney failure. Following a "no added salt," or NAS, diet, can help you to reduce blood pressure and decrease the risk for associated diseases and conditions.
General Information
Table salt is a combination of two chemicals: 40 percent sodium and 60 percent chloride. Of the two, sodium is the one implicated in raising blood pressure and increasing the risk for heart disease. Although sodium is an essential element and is crucial for a normal body function, its requirements are very low; this means that you need just very small amounts to maintain good health.
Recommended Sodium Intake
The National High Blood Pressure Education Program recommends reducing sodium intake to no more than 2,400 mg per day to prevent and treat hypertension. The American Heart Association set a sodium intake goal even lower, to less than 1,500 mg per day. Most people, however, eat a lot more sodium than they need. The NAS diet allows between 2 and 4 g of sodium per day. Although the NAS diet does not restrict sodium to a level recommended by the American Heart Association, even a modest sodium restriction will help you better control your blood pressure.
Foods to Avoid
Eliminate the salt shaker from the table. Add as little salt as possible to your cooking, try to use culinary herbs and spices instead. Avoid or eat only on occasion processed foods such as bacon, sausage, ham, smoked fish, pepperoni and other cured or smoked meats as well as processed cheese and cheese spreads: these types of foods usually contains large amount of sodium. Choose canned foods that have "no salt added" on the label. In some canned foods with added salt, such as tuna or canned vegetables, you can reduce the sodium by rinsing the content with water. Pick low-sodium varieties of canned soups and frozen dinners. Beware that some common condiments such as ketchup, relish and mayo as well as salad dressings and marinades may be high in sodium; try to substitute low-sodium versions.
Salt Substitutes
The sodium content in seasoned salts and sea salt is almost as high as in the table salt; therefore, these products must be also avoided on the NAS diet. One of the salt substitutes contains potassium chloride and may not be suitable for people with certain diseases and conditions. Ask your doctor if this salt substitute is OK for you to use. Some pre-mixed herbs and spices may have some salt added, check the ingredients and choose those with no salt.
How to Read Labels
Reading the label may help you to identify low-sodium foods. Although the terminology is somewhat confusing, there are certain regulations when it comes to making claims about sodium content in foods. For example, "sodium-free" means that product contains less than 5 mg of sodium per serving and "low-sodium" foods have 140 mg or less per serving. "Reduced sodium" means that sodium level reduced by 25 percent from the original product and can still contain a lot of sodium.
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