Have a Heart

February is Heart Month so I thought I'd talk about ways to keep your heart healthy by avoiding salt. I know we all love salt. I actually crave more salt in the winter but still try to limit my salt intake because I don't want any heart-related complications years from now.  Also today is Red Day.  So wear red today to support the fight against heart disease in women.

Sadly about one out of three U.S. adults has high blood pressure (aka hypertension) and this is a serious matter because it greatly increases the risk for heart disease and stroke. In 2010 high blood pressure alone cost the United States $76.6 billion in health care services, medications, and missed days of work. 

So what is high blood pressure anyways?
Blood pressure is the force of blood against your artery walls as it circulates through your body.  It rises and falls throughout the day but when it stays high for a long time, that becomes a major health problem.  It is important to get your blood pressure checked regularly because many people don’t even know they have high blood pressure.  It is sometimes called the “silent killer”. 

Now I mentioned that I am going to talk about salt and it’s relation to heart health.  Some of you may be asking, “What does salt have to do with blood pressure?”  Well first let me explain the difference between sodium and salt.  Salt is mostly sodium, a mineral that occurs naturally in foods.  Sodium is the substance that may cause your blood pressure to increase.  When you eat too much salt (which contains sodium), your body holds extra water to “wash” the salt from your body.  This increase in water causes blood pressure to rise because the added water puts stress on your heart and blood vessels. 

Ways to help you cut back on salt and sodium

·         Eat fresh foods because they are generally lower in sodium.  Processed foods have added sodium to make them shelf stable.  Veggies and fruits are naturally low in sodium.  You can enjoy them fresh or frozen.  If you purchase canned fruits and vegetables, rinse them in water to help get rid of some of the sodium. 

·         Enjoy a home-cooked meal.  This way you are in control of how much salt/sodium is in your foods. 

·         Choose dairy and protein foods that are lower in sodium such as fat-free and low-fat milk and yogurt in place of cheese, which is higher in sodium.  Choose fresh meats that have no added salt.  Deli meats, sausages, and canned products are always higher in sodium.  Enjoy unsalted nuts and seeds. 

·         Adjust those taste buds.  Cutting back on salt will “train” your taste buds to have less salt cravings. 

·         Pass the salt…away from you.  Keep the salt shaker off of the dinner table where there is easy access to it.  Instead use spices, herbs, garlic, vinegar, and lemon to season foods or try no-salt seasoning mixes such as Mrs. Dash.  There are so many varieties to choose from.  Some great salt alternatives are black and red pepper, basil, curry, ginger, and rosemary. 

·         Read nutrition facts labels.  Look for food labels that state the product is “low in sodium”, “reduced sodium” or “no salt added”.  Also be sure to look at the serving size.  The sodium content may look reasonable but you may have just eaten the whole container which was really 4 servings!

·         Ask for low sodium foods when eating out.  Some restaurants prepare lower sodium foods upon request and can serve sauces and salad dressings on the side which are usually full of sodium.  Now that many restaurants provide a calorie chart, next time check to see if the sodium content is provided.  I’ve seen a stir fry dish at a restaurant that had three days’ worth of sodium in the lunch portion!!!

·         Caution on condiments.  Foods like soy sauce, ketchup, pickles, olives, dressings, are very high in sodium.  Look for low sodium options and choose vegetables instead of pickles and olives.

·         Boost potassium intake with potatoes, beet greens, tomato juice and sauce, sweet potatoes, beans, bananas, avocados, yogurt, clams, halibut, OJ and milk.  These foods may help to lower your blood pressure.

·         Limit soda intake.  Yes it has sodium in it!

·         Aim for less than 1,500 mg a day if you are older than 51 years of age, African American, or have high blood pressure, diabetes, or chronic kidney disease. 

·         Everyone including children should limit their sodium intake to 2,300 mg of sodium a day (equivalent to 1 teaspoon of salt).

SODIUM CONTENT IN COMMON FOODS:

Meats, poultry, fish, and shellfish

Fresh meat, 3 oz. cooked: Less than 90 mg
Shellfish, 3 oz: 100 to 325 mg
Tuna, canned, 3 oz: 300 mg
Lean ham, 3 oz.: 1,025 mg

Dairy products

*Whole milk, 1 cup: 120 mg
Skim or 1% milk, 1 cup: 125 mg
*Buttermilk (salt added), 1 cup: 260 mg
*Swiss cheese, 1 oz: 75 mg
*Cheddar cheese, 1 oz : 175 mg
Low-fat cheese, 1 oz.: 150 mg
*Cottage cheese (regular), 1/2 cup: 455 mg

Vegetables

Fresh or frozen vegetables, and no-salt-added canned (cooked without salt), 1/2 cup: Less than 70 mg
Vegetables canned or frozen (without sauce), 1/2 cup: 55-470 mg
Tomato juice, canned, 3/4 cup: 660 mg

Breads, cereals, rice and pasta

Bread, 1 slice: 110-175 mg
English muffin (half): 130 mg
Ready-to-eat, shredded wheat, 3/4 cup: Less than 5 mg
Cooked cereal (unsalted), 1/2 cup: Less than 5 mg
Instant cooked cereal, 1 packet: 180 mg
Canned soups, 1 cup: 600-1,300 mg

Convenience foods

Canned and frozen main dishes, 8 oz: 500-1,570 mg

*These can also be high in saturated fat, unless low-fat or reduced fat options are purchased.

*High in saturated fat

Finally the question everyone wants to know…

Is sea salt healthier than table salt??  Actually it isn’t.  Salt is salt and either way you are getting sodium from these salts.  If you use kosher salt you may get a little less sodium because less salt “fits” in one teaspoon due to the larger crystals.  So one teaspoon of kosher salt provides about 1,900 mg of sodium where table salt provides 2,300 mg of sodium.  You can find sea salt in larger crystal forms as well.