Lower Your Sodium, Lower Your Blood Pressure!

Hello, Everyone!

     This week's post concentrates on a disease that literally millions of people in both the U.S. and around the world suffer from - hypertension or high blood pressure - and its relationship to diet.  Now, most of you have probably heard this before.  In fact, it's one of those things that's so simple that most of us take it for granted and tend to forget about it a lot of times.  But this is a prime example of how a little something (or, in this case, the lack of a little something!) can go a long way.
     Common table salt or sodium chloride contains the main culprit - sodium.  Now, sodium in and of itself is not bad.  In fact, our bodies need a certain amount of sodium for things like helping to maintain normal cell function and proper fluid balance (RelayHealth, 2009).  However, it's when this amount is exceeded that a corresponding increase in blood pressure is seen.  Your body needs only about 500 milligrams (mg) of sodium (about one-quarter of a teaspoon of salt) each day.  The Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend that no more than 2300 mg of sodium be eaten each day (one teaspoon of table salt contains about this much).  For people with high blood pressure, the recommendation is to reduce this amount to 1500 mg a day or less.  The average American, though, consumes quite a bit more than this - often between 4000 and 9000 mg of sodium daily (RelayHealth)!
     So, as mentioned above, the answer is deceptively simple:  Lower your sodium intake and you can lower your blood pressure!
    For more information, please refer to:

RelayHealth. (2009). Salt in the Diet. CRS - Adult Health Advisor, 1. Retrieved from Health Source - Consumer Edition database. 

As always, I hope that this week's post has provided you with some Food For Thought!
Until next time...!!

Vicky