Lose Your Taste For Salt

Chances are you have a bad relationship with salt. The typical American diet has too much of it, and not by just a little. While the American Heart Association recommends 2,300 milligrams of salt per day—about a teaspoon—about 9 out of 10 Americans are consuming nearly half again as much, about 3,300 milligrams, or more.

And that’s not good, said Faheem Ahmad, MD, a cardiologist with Franciscan Physician Network Cardiology Munster. Too much salt in our diet is a major culprit behind high blood pressure. Salt increases the amount of water in our blood vessels, and that in turns increases pressure on the vessels.

“As I tell my patients, ‘salt’ is a four-letter word,” he said.

Uncontrolled, high blood pressure can result in heart attack, stroke, vision loss and heart failure. But the good news is, especially for adults 65 and older, the risk for all of these can be reduced to a great extent by maintaining a healthy blood pressure.

While our bodies do need certain vitamins and minerals to function well, many people are surprised at how little salt we actually need in our diet, said Dr. Ahmad.

“By looking at native populations across the world, such as Brazilian tribal populations that live off the land, we that they consume not half, not a quarter, but 1/20th of the salt we consume in Western learn civilizations,” he said. “This shows us, by living examples, that we really don’t need a lot of salt to survive.”

Closer to home, however, salt is in most of the items we find in the local grocery store. Most prepared foods, breads, snack foods, canned soups and vegetables, cured and deli meats all contain salt. If it’s in the middle of the grocery store and doesn’t need refrigeration, it probably contains salt.

“Processed foods make our lives convenient because they can sit on the shelf for a long time, and salt makes this possible,” said Dr. Ahmad. “The rule of thumb is, if something can stay on the shelf for more than a week, chances are it’s high in salt.”

The Four-Week Challenge

Losing your taste for salt is a great place to start to control your blood pressure. It takes time, and awareness, but it can be done. By taking one month to reduce the salt in your diet, you’ll also curb your craving for salt. This strategy works for many of his patients, said Dr. Ahmad.

“After four to six weeks, you’ll find that salty foods you enjoyed before may now be too salty. Clinical trials in which patients go on a controlled, low-salt diet have shown us this experience time and time again,” he said.

Here are some ways to reduce the salt in your diet.  of Americans,” said Dr. Ahmad.

• Cut down or cut out sausages and deli meats.
• Choose fresh foods and meats instead of prepared meals or side dishes. For instance, prepare a baked potato in the oven instead of buying a container of mashed potatoes. Instead of seasoning with salt or adding cheese, top with chopped green onions or steamed broccoli.
• Avoid canned soups and vegetables. These are notoriously high in salt.
• Read food labels. Look for low-sodium choices.
• Avoid high-sodium snacks. Instead, pop your own popcorn at home and add salt afterward.
• Limit your dining out, especially at Mexican and Chinese restaurants.
• Resist reaching for the saltshaker. Even if you already follow a low-salt diet, sprinkling salt on your food can raise your risk for heart disease, heart failure and plaque in cardiac arteries, researchers report.
• Try a no-salt seasoning mix to add flavor to your cooking. Use fresh lemon juice or a mild vinegar like rice or balsamic for steamed vegetables and salad greens.
• Talk to your doctor first before using a salt substitute. Potassium chloride, often used as a “low-sodium” alternative, can help lower blood pressure while meeting that salty craving. But it’s not always a good fit for everyone, especially if you already have diagnosed heart disease, kidney disease or diabetes. It also is not recommended if you take some blood pressure medications.

“Even if you reduce your salt intake to between 2,000 and 2,500 milligrams per day, you’ll be doing better than 90 percent

You know that too much salt contributes to high blood pressure, but you might not realize how eating out could put you and your kids at risk.

Many entrees at restaurants and fast-food places contain almost a full day's allotment of salt, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Remember, that's 2,300 milligrams, or about one teaspoon. This can be a problem for your heart health.

Watching Salt When Eating Out

With many American’s eating out an average of five times a week, all that salt adds up. And the more salt you eat, the greater the odds for high blood pressure (hypertension), a major contributor to heart disease and stroke.

Studies done around the world have looked at salt consumption and high blood pressure. A study of 500 people, aged 18 to 40, found that the more restaurant meals people ate every week, the higher their odds of pre-hypertension. Young people with even a slightly elevated blood pressure level are at very high risk of full-blown hypertension.

To protect yourself and your family when dining out, ask about the salt content of meals you're thinking of ordering. Restaurants with 20 or more locations must provide this on request, and many chains post the numbers online.