If you’re one of the 31% of our adult population with high blood pressure, you probably know that it increases your risk of heart disease (the leading cause of death in the U.S.) and stroke (the third leading cause of death). You may also know that high sodium intake can raise your blood pressure. I wonder if you know that potassium can help you lower it.
Potassium is primarily found in foods high in nutrition, which means consuming a potassium-rich diet will improve your cardiovascular health overall. Unfortunately, most Americans eat only half of the recommended 4,700 mg of potassium each day. According to 11 studies involving over 250,000 people (that’s a lot of data!), adding three servings of a potassium rich food to their daily diet was linked to a 21% lower risk of stroke.
To lower your blood pressure and risk for heart disease and stroke, add these foods to your diet (the mg. per serving are listed in parentheses): medium baked potato with skin (925), 1 cup cooked spinach (800), 1 cup prune juice (710), 4 oz. cooked halibut (600), ½ cup canned white beans (595), 8 oz. plain yogurt (580), medium baked sweet potato with skin (540), 1 cup orange juice (500) – more than a medium banana at 420!, 1 cup winter squash or Brussels sprouts (495), 1 cup cooked broccoli (460, 1 cup cantaloupe or tomatoes (430), 1 cup carrots (410), 1 cup corn (380), 1 cup nonfat milk (380), and ½ cup avocado or cooked lentils (365). Source: Wellness Letter August 2011
Showing posts with label sodium. Show all posts
Showing posts with label sodium. Show all posts
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
Thursday, September 30, 2010
It’s Not a Salty Issue
It’s nothing to laugh at: Americans are eating far too much salt. According to the American Heart Association (AHA), Americans on average consume 3,436 mg sodium daily. What’s the recommended intake? Well, that depends on who you are and who you ask. The US Department of Agriculture would like to see healthy people limit their daily sodium intake to 2300 mg, about a teaspoon of salt. However, it recommends that people who have high blood pressure, all middle-aged and older people, and all black adults (in total about 70% of the population) consume no more than 1500 mg each day. If you were to ask the American Heart Association experts, they want to see everyone at that lower limit to reduce hypertension and the risk of cardiovascular disease.
This is not as easy as it sounds, even for a nutrition conscious person such as me. I am very sodium aware and after years of working to lower my intake, I can really taste the salt in foods. I am no longer able to enjoy regular cottage cheese (which has more sodium per serving than potato chips, by the way). Safeway sells a salt free version that I’ve come to love. Most soups, canned and restaurant made, are too salty for me, and I frequently recommend no salt added canned peas and corn because they’re convenient and really do taste good without the salt! So it’s not about adjusting to less salt. Your tastes will adjust, I promise you.
It’s getting the sodium out of our food that is the problem. Consider that on average the natural salt content of food accounts for only about 10 percent of total intake, while salt added at the table or while cooking provides another 5 to 10 percent of total intake. That means that the remaining 75 percent is derived from salt added by manufacturers.* In addition, foods served by restaurants are often high in sodium. Take for example an order of Buffalo Chicken Fajitas from Chili’s. When eaten with the accompanying tortillas and condiments, the sodium content is almost 7000 mg – close to five times the AHA’s recommended daily limit (source: UC Berkeley Wellness Letter August 2009).
Government agencies and the Center for Science in the Public Interest are encouraging food manufacturers to voluntarily begin to lower the sodium content of processed foods. Just 10 % a year for five years would make a significant difference that consumers are unlikely to notice. I’ll keep you informed as things progress.
* http://www.health.gov/dietaryguidelines/dga2005/document/html/chapter8.htm
This is not as easy as it sounds, even for a nutrition conscious person such as me. I am very sodium aware and after years of working to lower my intake, I can really taste the salt in foods. I am no longer able to enjoy regular cottage cheese (which has more sodium per serving than potato chips, by the way). Safeway sells a salt free version that I’ve come to love. Most soups, canned and restaurant made, are too salty for me, and I frequently recommend no salt added canned peas and corn because they’re convenient and really do taste good without the salt! So it’s not about adjusting to less salt. Your tastes will adjust, I promise you.
It’s getting the sodium out of our food that is the problem. Consider that on average the natural salt content of food accounts for only about 10 percent of total intake, while salt added at the table or while cooking provides another 5 to 10 percent of total intake. That means that the remaining 75 percent is derived from salt added by manufacturers.* In addition, foods served by restaurants are often high in sodium. Take for example an order of Buffalo Chicken Fajitas from Chili’s. When eaten with the accompanying tortillas and condiments, the sodium content is almost 7000 mg – close to five times the AHA’s recommended daily limit (source: UC Berkeley Wellness Letter August 2009).
Government agencies and the Center for Science in the Public Interest are encouraging food manufacturers to voluntarily begin to lower the sodium content of processed foods. Just 10 % a year for five years would make a significant difference that consumers are unlikely to notice. I’ll keep you informed as things progress.
* http://www.health.gov/dietaryguidelines/dga2005/document/html/chapter8.htm
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