Salt, also known as sodium chloride, is an essential nutrient that is present in many foods. While it is important for supporting healthy bodily functions, consuming too much salt can have negative consequences, particularly on blood pressure.
High salt intake can lead to elevated blood pressure, or hypertension, which is a major risk factor for heart disease, stroke, and kidney disease. Hypertension can cause damage to the blood vessels, leading to increased risk of heart attack and stroke.
You might be wondering how salt increases blood pressure? Salt is like a sponge in the body, it makes your body hold onto water. When you have too much, extra water goes into your blood which puts pressure on the walls of your blood vessels and raises your blood pressure. Raised blood pressure then means your heart has to work harder to pump blood through the body.
As mentioned above, salt is also known as sodium. It is recommended that the average adult consumes no more than 2300mg of sodium per day which translates to about 1 teaspoon of salt.
One of the main sources of salt in our diet is processed foods, such as fast food, canned soup, and snack foods. To reduce salt intake, it is important to limit consumption of processed foods and to choose fresh or minimally processed foods, such as fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.
In addition to reducing salt intake, increasing potassium intake can also have a positive impact on blood pressure. Foods high in potassium include bananas, sweet potatoes, spinach, and tomatoes.
Other tips to reduce salt intake include:
- Gradually reduce the amount of salt you add to your food, after around 4-6 weeks your taste buds will adjust
- Read food labels and choose foods with low sodium content: aim for less than 120mg per 100 grams for low salt and less than 400mg per 100g for moderate salt
- Choose products labelled as no added salt or salt reduced products
- Use herbs, spices, lemon, vinegar and other flavourings instead of salt to enhance the taste of food.
- Avoid adding salt to your food at the table
- Cook at home more often with foods such as, vegetables, fruits, lean proteins (fish, eggs, trimmed meats, lentils and legumes) and wholegrains
Worried your food won’t have any flavour without the salt?
TRY THIS WEEK’S RECIPE: Low-sodium Bistro Chicken Salad
Written by Andrea York (Accredited Practising Dietitian, Accredited Nutritionist from Healthy Lifestyles Australia)
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