How Can You Prevent High Blood Pressure?

3) Choose Foods Lower in Salt and Sodium

Americans eat more salt (sodium chloride) and other forms of sodium than they need. And guess what? They also have higher rates of high blood pressure than people in other countries who eat less salt.

Often, if people with high blood pressure cut back on salt and sodium, their blood pressure falls. Cutting back on salt and sodium also prevents blood pressure from rising. Some people like African-Americans and the elderly are more affected by sodium than others. Since there’s really no practical way to predict exactly who will be affected by sodium, it makes sense to limit intake of salt and sodium to help prevent high blood pressure.

All Americans, especially people with high blood pressure, should eat no more than about 6 grams of salt a day, which equals about 2,400 milligrams of sodium. That’s about 1 teaspoon of table salt. But remember to keep track of ALL salt eaten – including that in processed foods and added during cooking or at the table. Americans eat 4,000 to 6,000 milligrams of sodium a day, so most people need to cut back on salt and sodium. See below for the range of sodium in some types of foods. You can teach your taste buds to enjoy less salty foods. Here are a few tips:

· Check food labels for the amount of sodium in foods. Choose those lower in sodium most of the time. Look for products that say "sodium free," "very low sodium," " low sodium," "light in sodium," "reduced or less sodium," "or "unsalted, " especially on cans, boxes, bottles, and bags.

· Buy fresh, plain frozen, or canned with "no salt added" vegetables. Use fresh poultry, fish, and lean meat, rather than canned or processed types.

· Use herbs, spices, and salt-free seasoning blends in cooking and at the table instead of salt. See the box above on ways to spice up your foods.

· Cook rice, pasta, and hot cereals without salt. Cut back on instant or flavored rice, pasta, and cereal mixes because they usually have added salt.

· Choose "convenience" foods that are lower in sodium. Cut back on frozen dinners, mixed dishes like pizza, packaged mixes, canned soups or broths, and salad dressings which often have a lot of sodium.

· When available, buy low- or reduced- sodium, or "no-salt-added" versions of foods like these:

. Canned soup, dried soup mixes, bouillon

. Canned vegetables and vegetable juices

. Cheese, lower in fat

. Margarine

. Condiments like catsup, soy sauce

. Crackers and baked goods

. Processed lean meats

. Snack foods like chips, pretzels, nuts

· Rinse canned foods like tuna to remove some sodium.