Question about sodium and blood pressure?
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I don't think there is a magic number here. Some say that your body needs about 1500mg/day of sodium, but I have to believe that number varies dramatically, depending on how much you might sweat out and how your kidneys are functioning. Rather than shooting for any particular target, my wife just watches it and tries to avoid foods with more than, say, 100mg/serving. (Her doctor recommended keeping it under 2000mg/day for her heart failure.) Once you start doing this, and avoiding addition of extra salt, your taste buds will adjust and you will be able to spot unexpectedly salthy foods in restaurants with relative ease.
You might want to increase your potassium intake, as well. (Sodium and Potassium act in opposite directions when it comes to BP.) Fruits such as oranges and bananas are great sources of potassium.
I also recommend getting a home digital BP cuff, if you don't already have one. Your pharmacist should be able to recommend one for around $50. Taking your BP every day can help you keep tabs on what does and doesn't work!
Good luck with the weight loss. It sounds like you're taking the right steps to avoid BP medications (a very good thing, IMO).
Well salt is sodium (sodium Chloride), and if your worried about its effects on ur blood pressure, you should eat the least amount possible. The RDA is around 2400 mg.
30g
Recommended Amount of sodium is 1500 mg per day total for all meals for blood pressure that is increasing.
However, your doctor can tell you best, based on your medical history & any other condition you may have.
Keep it down to an absolute minimum. Think about hidden salts ( not just the obvious ones like added salt to a meal). Crisps, stock cubes, break and cakes, breakfast cereals, and crispbreads all contain large amounts of salt. Look at the labels on packaging, if it has more than 0.2mg salt (sodium) per 100 of product...give it a miss.
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