High Sodium Foods & Recommended Daily Sodium Intake

Sodium is a mineral that plays an important role in maintaining fluid balance in the body. In addition, it also helps deliver the nerve impulses that affect muscle contraction and relaxation. However, if your blood contains too much sodium, blood volume will increase as sodium would attract and bind water. By doing so, the heart has to work extra hard to pump to drain the blood volume increases. As a result, the pressure in the arteries will increase.

Currently, our tendency to excess sodium intake becomes very high. Almost every day we can not be separated from the food that has been processed and contain high sodium, such as soups, broths, canned vegetables, sauces, and much more. Not to mention the habit of adding salt at each meal or snack containing salt snack.

Indeed, there are still differences of opinion about whether the correct salt restriction can lower blood pressure. Several studies have managed to obtain some evidence to support this theory. Other studies including DASH-Sodium study published in 2001 showed that by reducing sodium lowers blood pressure.

High sodium foods

Excessive salt intake has been linked to various health risks, such as high blood pressure, heart disease, and stroke. But often do not realize the high salt content in some foods. The recommended salt intake for adults is 2,400 mg per day, and for people who are at a higher risk becomes increasingly smaller number is 1,500 mg per day. To avoid consuming high sodium foods everyday, you must pay attention to foods list below.

1. Bread: Bread does not taste salty, but it has a high sodium content. Whole wheat bread is the best type of bread because they contain the lowest levels of salt.

2. Frozen foods: Processed meats such as sausages and nuggets have a high salt content. The amount of sodium in these foods can vary widely. Some of which can reach 500 mg persajian.

3. The dressing on the salad: salad containing vegetables seem healthy, but when presented with the dressing, the levels of sodium in the diet is to be increased. One tablespoon of dressing can contain 214 mg of sodium.

4.Sereal: Type certain cereals such as corn flakes contains approximately 300 mg sodium per small bowl. Yet when eating cereal, people often do not only eat a small bowl.

5. Canned Beans: A small bowl of canned beans contains about 1,008 mg of sodium are almost insufficient half of the recommended daily limit of sodium.

6. Spaghetti sauce: On average, instant spaghetti sauce can contain 1,000 mg of sodium. So pay attention when cooking pasta, you should prepare spaghetti sauce by yourself, as it will significantly reduce the sodium content.

7. Soft drinks low in calories: This drink was lower in calories than the usual soft drinks, but the higher sodium content. There are 28 mg of sodium in 350 ml drink diet soda, regular soda drinks while only 15 mg.

8. Canned Soups: One canned soup can contain 1,106 mg of sodium. If you should choose canned soup, then choose which are labeled "low sodium".

Recommended daily sodium intake

Daily sodium intake below, taken from snap.edu and released also on US government site (click to enlarge).

The National High Blood Pressure Education Program by the National Institutes of Health advised all Americans to limit sodium no more than 2,400 milligrams per day. The available evidence stating that limiting sodium is natural and safe. Many health experts and organizations supporting low-sodium diet.

If you have high blood pressure and sensitive to sodium, reducing sodium intake can help lower blood pressure. By limiting sodium and changing lifestyle, so you may not need medication. If you are already using drugs, with reduced sodium, then these drugs will be more effective.

11 Foods As Your High Blood Pressure Diet

Why is high blood pressure-lowering diet, is so important to put into your daily diet? This is related to dietary factors everyday that affect a person's blood pressure. High blood pressure is a disease that can lead to other complications if not addressed. Not only the elderly are prone to high blood pressure. Younger people, both men and women in the reproductive age now have an increased risk for hypertension (high blood pressure). Poor lifestyle factors, and stress management are not good, is the main trigger hypertension at a young age. High blood pressure started when the blood flow through the artery is not processed constantly.  

The process towards high blood pressure, do not occur only in one or two days. Not constant blood flow, takes place in a long period of time, and there are no visible symptoms of this process. No human could be realized if the flow of blood in the body takes place unnatural. That is why hypertension or high blood pressure is considered a very dangerous condition. Although this condition does not bring the sufferer directly to death, but the gates of serious illnesses such as heart and organ damage directly wide open.

Here are some foods lowering high blood pressure that you can input into your diet.

1. Green vegetables such as spinach and coriander which is a source of potassium, is believed to reduce high blood pressure. Additionally spinach including vegetables low in calories, high in fiber, and contain healthy nutrients such as potassium, folate, and magnesium as the main ingredient to lower and maintain blood pressure levels. In addition to spinach and coriander, celery leaves can also be a good alternative in lowering high blood pressure.

2. Skim milk is fat-free milk rich in calcium and vitamin D. Calcium and vitamin D also has a role in maintaining blood pressure to keep it in the normal threshold. 

3. Tomatoes should be inserted into your high blood pressure diet, because it is rich in calcium, magnesium, vitamin C, vitamin D, vitamin E.

4. Garlic is usually used as a seasoning or a complement in order to be savory and sweet dishes. Probably not many are aware that the garlic cloves can provide the miracle to prevent blood clotting and thickening of the blood vessels, and can eliminate the blockage in the heart. So do not hesitate to add garlic in each of your dishes. 

5. Wheat is a friend for people with high blood pressure. If consumed regularly, wheat is high blood pressure-lowering foods are very effective.

6. Sunflower seeds are a great source of magnesium. This is a super snack to maintain a healthy heart and your blood vessels.

7. Olive oil contains antioxidant compounds that are very good in maintaining heart health and control your blood pressure. When this has been found to olive hydroxytyrosol compounds, derived from the juice of the olive fruit when processed into olive oil. Olive hydroxytyrosol is proved to be a super antioxidant compounds are best to maintain a healthy heart. 

8. White potatoes are rich in magnesium and potassium, two important nutrients for heart health. When potassium is low, the body maintains additional sodium (and too much sodium increases blood pressure). On the other hand, when you eat a diet rich in potassium, the body becomes more efficient at getting rid of excess sodium. Such as potassium, magnesium is also the key in promoting healthy blood flow. Therefore, maintaining a healthy balance of the two minerals can help keep high blood pressure continues to be in the normal range.

9. Bananas, functional fruit is a source of potassium, so it also includes the right choice for lowering high blood pressure that you can enter in a list of healthy snacks daily. 

10. Soy is another excellent source of potassium and magnesium. You can choose to consume dairy products from soy, or consume soy cooked. Because both are very good for lowering high blood pressure.

11. Fresh fruits such as avocados, tomatoes, olives and noni, be nice menu to put in the list of high blood pressure diet. Fresh fruits contain a lot of nutrients, good vitamins and minerals to fight high blood pressure.