Ways to Reduce Sodium in Your Diet

High blood pressure, also known as hypertension, runs in my family on my Mother's side, so I am particularly concerned about the need to try and combat it now that I am young, so that I do not develop it later on in life. When my Mum was 57 we found out that she had high blood pressure. I was very worried about this because she always seemed to enjoy good health prior to this. I hardly knew anything about the disease. So I read up about the disease, asked the doctor questions and got to know as much about the disease as I could, so I knew what we were up against. I was 16 years old at the time, but I was determined to try and support my Mum and help her heed her doctor's advice of cutting down on the sodium content in her diet and exercising more. I decided that one of the best ways I could help my Mum was to also change my eating habits. It was really hard to eliminate salt at first, but there were two of us doing it and that helped.

A good place to start is to stop adding salt to food during and after the cooking process. If you are used to adding salt to your food at mealtimes, when you withdraw it, food can taste very bland. So rather than deprive yourself, learn to substitute by adding herbs, spices, lemon juice and other condiments that will enhance the taste of your food without taking away from your pleasure in eating. According to recent Dietary Guidelines for Americans, healthy adults should only be consuming 2,300mg of sodium each day, which is the amount you can get on a teaspoon. For people over the age of 50, African Americans and for those who already have high blood pressure, the daily amount should be around 1,500mg. Food can still taste good without added salt. It just takes a few weeks to get used to the new taste of food. By not adding salt to our foods, we are actually training ourselves to appreciate the real taste of food, rather than the salt, that tends to obscure the natural flavour of food. We really do not need to add extra salt to our food. It is naturally present in most foods that we buy.

When you go shopping, read labels very carefully. Look at the sodium content. It will really shock you! Canned soups are particularly salty, as are frozen, convenience foods. Do not be fooled by the "healthy" option of convenience foods you are buying. Lower fat does not mean lower sodium. In fact, food that is lower in fat tends to be substituted with extra salt to help enhance the taste. There are so many foods that are packed full of salt such as canned foods, peanut butter, chips, soy sauce, luncheon meat, and even cake mixes! Basically, any foods that are highly processed or have been canned to preserve them, are the types of foods that will contain a lot of salt in them.

I used to get so frustrated when I would go shopping because many grocery shops did not seem to cater for those who were watching their sodium intake. It is still the case today. But things are improving. When you want to stock up on canned foods, try to pick out "no salt added" brands and check the back to see that you are really getting a lower sodium food. I find that with many canned foods I buy, I can easily eliminate the excess salt content by draining and then thoroughly rinsing the food in a colander under cold running water. This can be done with all kinds of beans, and vegetables. If you love to use spaghetti sauces in meals, perhaps you can try to make your own sauce. It is so simple. Combine two cans of chopped tomatoes, two freshly chopped tomatoes, fresh or fried basil, olive oil and lots of garlic. Cook the sauce down until it has reached the desired consistency and then add it to your other ingredients. It will not taste the same as what you are used to, but it is a better alternative and will not have heaped amounts of salt packed into it. Rather than buying luncheon meat for sandwiches, roast your own turkey and you will have a healthier alternative, that is not as salty.

Snack time can present a problem if you are used to salty foods. Again, try to substitute the big bag of chips for a few low sodium oat cakes or slice up some pita into strips and bake them for a few minutes in the oven until crispy. Make your own salsa dip, adding a generous sprinkling of lime juice and do not add any salt to it. Snacking on fruit and vegetables is a much better choice for those who have high blood pressure or for those who are just watching their sodium intake. If you are partial to nuts, you cn still eat them. Just try eating the no salt added variety. Cashews, peanuts, walnuts and almonds taste very nice without salt added to them.

Unless you are already a skilled cook, you will really need to start cooking more from scratch and limiting the amount of processed food you eat. Steam up a large batch of vegetables and season with a drizzle of lemon juice and add herbs for a fragrant accompaniment to rice and pasta. Also, learn how to substitute the all important soups that are used for casseroles and other dishes. Try to limit the use of canned soups in cooking and make your own, if you can. Or just use half a can and bulk up the rest with fresh ingredients. You will need to make gradual changes, because if you eliminate salt completely from your diet, you will find it so much harder to stick with your new lifestyle. So start small. In the first week, stop adding salt during the cooking process and at the table. Then the next week, cut down on convenience foods. In time, you will find it easier to get used to this. There is no need to completely eliminate salt from your diet, but reducing it will definitely result in better all round health.

You can maintain a lower sodium intake in restauarants too. When eating out, mention to your waiter or waitress that you do not want any salt added to your food during or after your food has been prepared and opt for fresh, unprocessed side items. I sent a side dish of vegetables back once because it was completely covered in salt. I could not eat it. Do not be afraid to mention your preference to your waiter or waitress. If you make a polite request at the time of ordering there should be no reason at all in accommodating your wishes.

Combating high blood pressure can also be achieved by taking regular exercise, avoiding smoking and by not drinking excessive amounts of alcohol. We all live in a stressful society, but we can reduce our stress levels by making the needed changes. Try to take adequate rest each day, get plenty of sleep at nighttime and try to combat anxiety levels. These precautions can help reduce your likelihood of developing high blood pressure or help to keep it lower if you are already suffering from it. For those who are already taking medication, continue to take it regularly according to your doctor's instructions. If there is a problem and you are experiencing severe side effects, let your doctor know as soon as you can and ask for a different type of medication. What is right for one person will not necessarily help you. It may be that your medication is adversely interacting with another medication you are taking, so get this problem seen to quickly. High blood pressure is sometimes referred to as the "silent killer". If left unchecked, it can lead to a stroke, heart attack or kidney damage. So start getting yourself checked for it after the age of 50. It is within your best intersts to do so. Some people are more prone to it due to hereditary factors. Being overweight is also a contributing factor, so if you are overweight, try to lose some weight. This will lessen the strain on your heart and your chances of developing high blood pressure. None of us want to look ahead to the time when we will have a host of ailments such as high blood pressure to bother us. But if we take preventative measures in our youth to maintain a healthy lifestyle, we are more likely to be active and healthy well into old age.