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Salt and High Blood Pressure: An Unwise And Unhealthy Combination
by Jim Bruce
To cope with your high blood pressure, or hypertension, you have but one objective and that is to lower it! Get your blood pressure down to a healthy and manageable level. Hypertension is the "silent killer" because is has no outward symptoms. Most people don't realize they have it until it's too late and they've suffered its consequences such as a stroke, heart attack, or kidney failure.
Your physician will suggest several ways that you can lower your blood pressure, but it's up to you to act and follow your doctor's instructions. Most likely, you will need to take antihypertensive medication, lose weight, and increase your exercise. There is another thing your doctor will advise you to do and that is change your diet. Salt and high blood pressure is a very dangerous combination when you have this condition.
How are Salt and High Blood Pressure Related To Each Other?
First, don't believe any of the hype! There is no "miracle cure" for high blood pressure that lets you use all the salt you like. Researchers are not totally certain how hypertension develops. One thing is known for sure, people who use excessive salt often develop high blood pressure. The sodium chloride we use as our table salt has been found to be associated with high blood pressure. Therefore, salt and high blood pressure are a serious combination. Normally, 2,000 to 3,000 milligrams of salt (2 to 3 grams) is enough for your average daily intake. Just remember this, a teaspoon of salt is approximately 2,300 milligrams.
This is especially true amongst either gender of African Americans. They are at a higher risk, as well as are the elderly. Diuretics are drugs that increase your urine output and remove excess salt from your body. The use of a diuretic alone may be enough for you to rid your body of the salt that's associated with your high blood pressure. But don't try to cheat your body by using diuretics. Don't use all the salt you wish and then take a diuretic to get rid of it. It simply doesn't work quite like that. Remember that salt and high blood pressure are scientifically correlated and you you must manage your salt intake.
To reduce salt intake, simply remove that salt shaker from your table! Use only very small amounts, no more that half a teaspoon when seasoning your food. If you don't cook with salt, but rather season your food after cooking, you will not need as much salt to get the taste you desire. Another effective way to reduce the salt in your diet that's associated with your high blood pressure is to cut way back on fast foods and snacks like potato chips, pretzels, salted nuts, and other salty junk foods.
Salt and high blood pressure comes packaged in many different ways. It's in the foods you eat. Salt that is associated with high blood pressure may be found in abundance in frozen and processed food. Read the labels on your food packages and you might be shocked at how much salt you're unknowingly consuming.
Potassium is a salt, also. Luckily, it isn't the type of salt that causes high blood pressure. In fact, potassium has a positive effect on most types of hypertension. People who eat a diet of food that contains potassium, like fruits and vegetables, have lower blood pressure. Plus, they retain water less and weigh less, plus get all the fiber they need. But be careful with potassium supplements if you are on some of the medications recommended for high blood pressure.
Other salts like calcium and magnesium may have beneficial effects on hypertension. Researchers today are uncertain about these effects, however. Until scientists know more, focus on lowering your sodium chloride salt to decrease your high blood pressure.
In 1997, the federal government funded a research study on a dietary approach to eliminate hypertension. The DASH diet (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) came out of this. It is a dietary plan designed to prevent and decrease high blood pressure. The New England Journal of Medicine evaluated the DASH diet and found it to be very effective in reducing and controlling hypertension.
This diet emphasizes the positive correlation between salt and high blood pressure. It recommends that you use a salt substitute or a savory combination of herbs to flavor your food. The Dash diet is rich in non-salty foods like fruits and vegetables, low-fat dairy products, meat, chicken, pork and fish protein, plus large amounts of food containing fiber, potassium and calcium.
Since salt and high blood pressure is such an bad combination, in order to lower your risk for life-threatening hypertensive-induced conditions, start doing everything you can to change your diet away from the salty one you might be eating now.
| Disclaimer: |
The information in this High Blood Pressure section has been taken from a number of sources. It is meant to give you information about certain medicines, but it does not cover all of the possible uses, warnings, side effects, or interactions with other medicines and vitamin or herbal supplements.
This information should not be used as medical advice for individual medical problems. Please talk to your doctor, health professional, and/or your pharmacist for prescription or treatment instructions. |
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