Cut back on the salt

By North Star


The Mediterranean diet may be heart-healthy, but if you have high blood pressure, one risk factor for heart disease, you may also want to talk to your doctor about the DASH diet, or "Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension."3 This eating plan, which the National Institutes of Health (NIH) recommends, has been proven to reduce blood pressure significantly. According to the NIH, the decreases are often comparable to those achieved with drugs to lower blood pressure.

The DASH diet is rich in fruits, vegetables, and low-fat dairy products--food choices that make the diet low in saturated fat, cholesterol, and total fat. The diet also includes whole grain products, fish, poultry, and nuts.

By itself, this diet helps reduce hypertension, but it can become even more effective when combined with eating less salt. In many people, too much salt and sodium in the diet can cause blood pressure to go up. Yet, cutting back often causes blood pressure to drop. For people who have not yet developed high blood pressure, adopting the DASH diet and reducing sodium may help prevent the problem.

Many Americans consume 3,300 milligrams or more of sodium per day. (One teaspoon of table salt alone contains 2,400 mg.) While many people add salt during cooking or while eating, much of dietary sodium comes from processed foods, such as luncheon meats, canned soups, and foods packed in brine (pickles, olives, and sauerkraut).

Federal researchers who designed the DASH diet found that people who restricted their sodium intake to 1,500 mg per day (equal to about two-thirds a teaspoon of salt) had the biggest reductions in blood pressure. The NIH suggests that people may want to start at 2,400 mg per day and work their way down to 1,500 mg.

Here are some tips for cutting back on sodium:

* Read food labels for sodium content, both for milligrams and the Percent Daily Value. As a rule of thumb, try to select foods that provide less than 5% of the Daily Value of sodium.

* Look for reduced sodium or no-salt-added products.

* Limit canned, smoked, or processed meats; frozen dinners; canned soups or broths; salad dressings, and other foods with high sodium content.

* Rinse canned foods to remove some of the sodium.

* Gradually cut back on cooking with salt by flavoring foods with herbs, spices, lemon or lime juice, vinegar, or salt-free seasoning blends.

* Don't leave the salt shaker out during meals.

* Ask restaurants to prepare your meal without salt or monosodium glutamate (MSG) added. Limit the use of condiments such as mustard, catsup, pickles, and salted sauces.

If your blood pressure becomes lower through the DASH diet, don't make any changes in your blood pressure medication unless you've checked with your doctor first.