Eat Less Salt? Check!

[Jace]

Everyone is familiar with the typical resolution of eating less salt
and exercising more, but "eating less salt" should top the list.

This small step is a big change anyone can make - and stick with it -
that can help you lead a more heart healthy life.

Nine in 10 Americans eat too much salt, and it's driven up their blood pressure,
which can lead to heart attack and stroke.

In fact, approximately 400,000+ deaths each year are attributed to high blood pressure,
and decreasing sodium intake could prevent thousands of deaths annually.

The Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend limiting sodium intake
to less than 2,300 milligrams per day (about 1 teaspoon of table salt).

However, individuals with hypertension and older adults should limit intake
to 1,500mg. of sodium per day.

How do you deal with your salt intake?

Substitute a spice?

Or... something else?

 

[Alligatorob]

How do you deal with your salt intake?

I don't, just eat what I want.

I tried limiting sodium intake for a while, but food just did not taste good. I asked my doctor and a nutritionist and was told that I should not worry about salt intake. FYI, my blood pressure is low and I have never had any heart or other sodium related problems.

I am lucky, I know lots of other people need to limit sodium intake. You have my sympathy.

 

[hollydolly]

I don't add salt to my food at the table unless it's chips ( fries).. and I hardly ever eat those...

 

[HoneyNut]

I used to follow low-sodium guidelines but didn't feel good. I feel a lot better getting more salt. I think the guidelines aren't correct. Stress and not getting 8 hrs of sleep can cause high blood pressure so my opinion is that trying to compensate by limiting salt is a bad method.

 

[hollydolly]

I used to follow low-sodium guidelines but didn't feel good. I feel a lot better getting more salt. I think the guidelines aren't correct. Stress and not getting 8 hrs of sleep can cause high blood pressure so my opinion is that trying to compensate by limiting salt is a bad method.

I'm going to tell you. that my Stress levels have been through the roof on many occasions..particularly this last year... for most of this last year I've barely slept more than a couple or 3 hours a night, and the sleep I did get was horrible nightmare filled.. so not restful at all... yet my BP is not raised at all.. I had an aunt who died due to her salt addiction. This is absolutely true, my mothers youngest sister died age 22 ... she was so addicted to salt that she would take a pack of salt with her to the cinema instead of popcorn or sweets for example...

 

[Ruthanne]

I have to have low salt intake, too. I rarely use it and watch the salt in prepared foods. Some days I eat too much I know but most I don't. I also take a pill for portal hypertension. That's a valve in the liver that is partially obstructed causing portal hypertension. If you read about it it's kind of scary.

 

[HoneyNut]

I had an aunt who died due to her salt addiction. This is absolutely true, my mothers youngest sister died age 22 ... she was so addicted to salt that she would take a pack of salt with her to the cinema instead of popcorn or sweets for example...

There was an interesting YouTube that talked about a young child that had cravings to eat a lot of salt, and that within a few days of being on a low salt diet he died, and his problem turned out to be something wrong with his adrenal function that was undiagnosed and that the high salt intake had been keeping him alive by compensating for the adrenal problem.