A Low Sodium Diet Plan

Salt is the crystallized building block of society. Pre-refrigeration, modern preservatives and handy zip lock bags, salt facilitated food storage for long winters. Fought over and traded in great value, salt became forever a part of our lives. So it is no mystery that salt is hard to ignore even if you are bent on it. It is an integral part of our diet included, packaged and served with every meal. Therefore, it can be challenging to take salt out of your diet plan.

Sodium Woes

Experts agree that the typical American diet includes far too much salt. The average adult consumes 4,000 mg compared to the American Heart Associations recommended 1,500. Salt causes your circulatory volume to raise causing stress and tension. A high sodium diet will lead to higher blood pressure and increase the chance of heart attack or stroke. The importance of reducing sodium is that much more for people already at risk for cardiovascular problems.

Tips For Your Low Sodium Diet Plan

1. Buy a spice rack.  When you cook cut down on the amount of salt you add or omit it all together and replace with other spices such as pepper or oregano. We only need a small amount of salt in our diets.
2. Watch out for prepared meals/sauces. According the National Heart and Blood Association, only a small amount of our salt intake comes from table or added salty. By and large, our salt intake comes from the processed foods we eat. Read labels of processed foods carefully and cut fast food out of your diet.
3. Eat fresh and raw. Foods are salted as a preservative and for taste. Cut out the middle man by cooking your own fresh meals without salt. Eat foods that don’t require salt like fruits and vegetables and buy only unsalted nuts for your diet plan.
4. Drink 2 liters of water a day. Salt’s retention of water leads to hypertension. This is why salt makes people thirsty. Drinking lots of water reduces this effect.
5. Stick to salt free foods. Such as lean fish, poultry, raw vegetables and cereals. Avoid salted foods like fatty and spicy foods, meat broths, smoked meats or marinades.

The American Heart Association recommends that if your blood pressure is 120/80 Hg or over you should consider lowering the sodium in your diet. Reducing salt in your diet can be tricky but it is essential for a healthy heart diet plan.

Matthew Sommer writes health tips and helps people to get health insurance quotes.