At least in already prepared foods.

It isn't too bad if you are eating at home, but man eating out can be rough.

My husband is trying to be on a heart healthy 1500mg a day of sodium and I am trying to hold to that, to help with my BP, which has gone up as I have gotten older, and I would prefer to lower with diet and exercise rather than medication.

Label reading, such fun.

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Roswell, GA (Atlanta suburb)

And sugar's the other narcotic. IMO wheat's not far behind.

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deckeda
And sugar's the other narcotic. IMO wheat's not far behind.

Yeah, but if you hold down the calories, you usually hold down the sugar. They just put sodium in every damn thing.

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Roswell, GA (Atlanta suburb)

Just remember that if you are forced to dine on high-sodium foods, you can immediately cut the salt in half by eating only 50% of the food.

It has been easier for me to cut down on sugar than sodium. I can combat my sweet tooth but bland tasting food is a tough nut to crack. Adding lemon, onion and garlic helps a bit.

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imo, salt gets a bad wrap. yes, if your doctor tells you to cut down on salt then you should cut down on salt. short of that salt is fine.

Going low carb can lower your BP a couple of points, but going low salt and low sugar/carbs is rough.

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mattkime
imo, salt gets a bad wrap. yes, if your doctor tells you to cut down on salt then you should cut down on salt. short of that salt is fine.

Unfortunately, he does need to be on that heart healthy diet. He takes BP meds already, and he needs to lower his cholesterol, so yeah, he needs to cut the sodium, too.

I want to cut down to see if with that and diet changes I can lower my BP. Lowering sodium is supposed to help lower BP.

It usually isn't the salt you add to your food, it is the stuff that is already in there, for prepared foods.

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Roswell, GA (Atlanta suburb)

canned soups are tough
bread, deli meat and cheese
pancake mix, surprisingly ( I make my own )
seems like anything labeled "no salt added " or "reduced sodium" are loaded
I make my own pickles and that uses a tad bit of salt - I've cut back even though they started coming out pretty darn good.

I read labels on everything at the grocery store trying to avoid salt, sugar and HFCS

I really don't miss salt.
The salt grinder and sugar bowl are pushed all the way back in the cabinet nowadays.

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rgG

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mattkime
imo, salt gets a bad wrap. yes, if your doctor tells you to cut down on salt then you should cut down on salt. short of that salt is fine.

Unfortunately, he does need to be on that heart healthy diet. He takes BP meds already, and he needs to lower his cholesterol, so yeah, he needs to cut the sodium, too.

I want to cut down to see if with that and diet changes I can lower my BP. Lowering sodium is supposed to help lower BP.

It usually isn't the salt you add to your food, it is the stuff that is already in there, for prepared foods.

I agree. Seldom do I add salt when I prepare a meal if it includes prepared stuff, or canned/frozen prepared components. It has enough/too much as it is.

Humans need a certain amount of salt of course. But you add it when cooking, not at the table. And that's if it's not already in what you're cooking, which it probably is. And if your doctor tells you to knock it off you're already taking in too much.

Basically you have to either buy canned/frozen/packaged foods that disclose the sodium content, or prepare your own foods. Restaurant meals often contain massive sodium levels. Something like Outback Steakhouse onion bloom is off the charts.

I spend a few months trying a very low sodium diet to control pre hypertension. I kept salt intake below 800 mg per day, many days staying at or near 0. For me this had no effect.

A simple medication that causes your kidneys to remove sodium is Hydrochlorothiazide.

Also, adding salt at the table has more of an effect in taste that adding it when cooking. Example would be home made pasta sauce. Adding salt when cooking requires more salt then adding some salt at the table.

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"No Comment"

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Mr645
... Also, adding salt at the table has more of an effect in taste that adding it when cooking. Example would be home made pasta sauce. Adding salt when cooking requires more salt then adding some salt at the table.

Absolutely true, as would be the case for any other seasoning! So you add the 1/2tsp or maybe 1tsp the recipe calls for and stop. Everyone gets some salt, it tastes "more bland" (only because you're not used to the taste ...) Still skip table salt; it's really over the top.

I salt a lot of my food and I am always told by others I should cut back. Last time I went to the doctor he brought up that my sodium was low. Go figure. Different metabolism a or something.

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Formerly known as Dennis R

Most chain restaurants will provide the salt/calorie information. And if you go to a local one often enough they will work with you (Chili's comes to mind here for me)

The way I look at it is be religious about salt at home; limiting the prepared foods etc. which gives you more leeway when eating out. But that depends on how often - usually once a week for us except vacations.

I've just been put on BP and cholesterol meds by the doc with a finger wag to lose some weight. Growing old sucks sometimes.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 02/23/2016 09:21AM by Lizabeth.

rGC,

If you do spicing at home on your food, be careful of spice blends. Most have salt in them. If I purchase a spice blend, I do my best to get a salt-free version. Then, I can salt it to taste and, even then, I use a minimal amount. Salt just doesn't seem necessary to most of the time.

Robert

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Robert M
rGC,

If you do spicing at home on your food, be careful of spice blends. Most have salt in them. If I purchase a spice blend, I do my best to get a salt-free version. Then, I can salt it to taste and, even then, I use a minimal amount. Salt just doesn't seem necessary to most of the time.

Robert

Penzey's has some nice salt free blends...

[www.penzeys.com]

Lizabeth,

That they do and believe you me, I hate them for it.

Frontier Co-op has great spices and spice blends. Veyr high quality. You'll see them sold under the Frontier name as well as under the Simply Organic name.

[www.frontiercoop.com]

Robert

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Dennis R
I salt a lot of my food and I am always told by others I should cut back. Last time I went to the doctor he brought up that my sodium was low. Go figure. Different metabolism a or something.

I've never taken any special measures to reduce my sodium intake and I've always had perfect blood pressure. Some of us are luckier than others.

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It is what it is.

Disclaimer advice, consult with your doctor. I know some people who take an amino acid supplement L-Arginine that has been shown to reduce blood pressure instead of blood pressure drugs that might have more side effects. [www.webmd.com]

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