Many people with high blood pressure find that cutting down
on sodium lowers their blood pressure. A low-sodium diet
limits the amount of sodium in your diet to no more than
2300 milligrams a day. One teaspoon of salt has about 2300
milligrams of sodium.
Our taste for salt is mainly a habit. When you gradually
lower the amount of salt in your diet, your taste begins to
change. After a while, food begins to taste better without
salt than it did with it.
Dietary Recommendations
Table salt added to foods is a common source of sodium in
the diet. By not adding salt to foods, you can reduce
the amount of sodium in your diet. But sodium is also
found in canned and prepared foods, even if they don't
taste salty. Learn which foods to avoid by reading
labels to find out how much sodium is in the foods. You
can reduce the amount of sodium in your diet by following
these guidelines:
- Read labels carefully. Look for any form of sodium or
salt, such as sodium benzoate or sodium citrate. Choose
foods that have less salt.
- Add very little or no salt to food that you prepare.
- Check the sodium content when you use baking powder,
baking soda, and monosodium glutamate (MSG).
- Do not add salt to food at the table.
- Fast foods are very high in salt, as are many other
restaurant foods. When you eat at a restaurant, try
steamed fish and vegetables or fresh salads. Avoid
soups.
- Avoid eating the following foods:
- ketchup, prepared mustard, pickles, and olives
- soy sauce, steak or barbecue sauce, chili sauce, or
Worcestershire sauce
- bouillon cubes
- commercially prepared or cured meats or fish (for
example, bacon, luncheon meats, and canned sardines)
- canned vegetables, soups, and other packaged
convenience foods
- salty cheeses and buttermilk
- salted nuts and peanut butter
- self-rising flour and biscuit mixes
- salted crackers, chips, popcorn, and pretzels
- commercial salad dressings
- instant cooked cereals.
Many of these foods are now available in unsalted or
low-sodium versions. Read all labels carefully.
If your diet must be restricted to much lower amounts of
sodium, talk to your health care provider and a registered
dietitian for help in planning your meals. It is important
to keep your meals nutritionally balanced and tasty. It can
be hard to follow a restricted-salt diet if the food doesn't
taste good, but there are many healthy ways to add taste
without adding salt or fat.
Use of Salt Substitutes
Ask your health care provider about using salt substitutes.
Most salt substitutes contain potassium for flavor. If you
are taking certain medications, you may need to be careful
about the amount of potassium in your diet.
Substitutions and Hints
- Season foods with herbs and spices. Use onions, garlic,
parsley, lemon and lime juice and rind, dill weed, basil,
tarragon, marjoram, thyme, curry powder, turmeric, cumin,
paprika, vinegar, or wine to enhance the flavor and aroma
of foods. Mushrooms, celery, red pepper, yellow pepper,
green pepper, and dried fruits also enhance specific
dishes.
- Eat fresh foods (instead of canned or packaged foods) as
much as possible. Also, plain frozen fruits and
vegetables usually do not have added salt.
- Add a pinch of sugar or a squeeze of lemon juice to bring
out the flavor in fresh vegetables.
- If you must use canned products, use the low-sodium types
(except for fruit). Rinse canned vegetables with tap
water before cooking.
- Substitute unsalted, polyunsaturated margarine for
regular margarine or butter.
- Eat low-sodium cheeses. Many are available now, some
with herbs and spices that are very tasty, and many are
also low-fat.
- Drink low-sodium juices.
- Make unsalted or lightly salted soup stocks and keep them
in the freezer to use as substitutes for canned broth and
bouillon. Use these stocks to enhance vegetables.
- Substitute wines and vinegars (especially the flavored
vinegars) for salt to enhance flavors.
- Eat tuna and salmon and rinse first with running water.
- Use herbs such as bay leaf, curry, turmeric, cumin,
cilantro, dill, marjoram, paprika, pepper, tarragon,
thyme, sage, onions, or garlic to season chicken, beef,
or fish.
- Cook rice in homemade broth with mushrooms and scallions
or shallots.
Help Yourself Become Healthier
- Check food labels for sodium and fat content.
- Read nutrition information available at your local
library, from the American Heart Association, and through
nutrition programs and health fairs. Ask your health
care provider for printed information on nutrition, diet,
and health.
- Contact a dietitian for information.
- Look for some of the excellent low-sodium cookbooks
available in most bookstores.
- Take time to plan and enjoy your meals. You will be
pleasantly surprised at how fast you learn new food
preparations, how lowering your sodium intake lowers your
blood pressure, and how good food can be.
Disclaimer: This content is reviewed periodically and is subject to
change as new health information becomes available. The
information provided is intended to be informative and educational and is not a
replacement for professional medical evaluation, advice, diagnosis or
treatment by a healthcare professional.
HIA File CRD3636F.HTM Release 9.0/2006. Copyright © 2006 McKesson Corporation and/or one of its subdiaries. All Rights Reserved.
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