Skip the Salt
Reduce your sodium intake to improve heart health Recently, researchers explained that if the food industry complied with the Food and Drug Administration’s 10-year plan to reduce sodium in commercially prepared food, some 450,000 cases of cardiovascular disease could be prevented, saving more than $40 billion over 20 years. Sodium consumption is a leading controllable risk factor […]
Five diet rules for a healthy heart
Heart disease may be the leading cause of death for Americans, but here’s a heartening statistic: About half of heart-disease deaths in the U.S. are preventable. According to an Emory University study, the leading five controllable risk factors are obesity, high cholesterol, diabetes, high blood pressure and smoking. Eighty percent of Americans have at least […]
Skip out on high-sodium foods
For almost half a century now, health organizations, health professionals, researchers and government agencies have recommended that we reduce our sodium intake to lower the risk of developing high blood pressure, which is a proven risk factor for heart disease and stroke. But the call for slashing sodium intake has not been taken to heart, […]
Top 10 sources of sodium in food
The 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend that Americans consume less than 2,300 milligrams of sodium per day — yet most of us get far more sodium in a day than that. And while you might assume that a lot of the extra salt we consume comes from having a too-liberal hand with the salt […]
How much sodium do you need?
Your blood pressure shouldn’t be your only consideration when it comes to figuring out how much sodium you should be consuming. Here’s what to keep in mind: 1. Your age. Salt sensitivity, the likelihood that sodium will raise your blood pressure, increases with age. While slightly over a third of 45-year-olds have hypertension, that number […]
Eight ways to lower blood pressure besides cutting sodium
EatingWell.com When it comes to “natural” ways to improve blood pressure, sodium restriction snags the spotlight. Most experts agree that limiting sodium is a smart strategy for those looking to lower blood pressure, but why focus on what you can’t — or shouldn’t — have? Shift your emphasis to positive lifestyle changes you can make […]
Breaking up with salt
By Densie Webb, Ph.D., R.D., Environmental Nutrition Newsletter “I love you, salt, but you’re breaking my heart.” This is the plea from the American Heart Association for Americans to pledge to “break up” with salt. Almost 81,000 people have done just that. But, it seems breaking up is hard to do. That’s because salt is […]
Learn how to stay in the sodium safe zone
Harvard Health Letters How’s your sodium intake? Most health-conscious adults already know that sodium raises blood pressure–and that high blood pressure, in turn, boosts the risk of heart disease and stroke. As for how much sodium an individual ingests from all sources, it’s hard to say. There’s no simple test you can take–like having your […]
