Transcript Tips to Limit Sodium

Provided Courtesy of Nutrition411.com
Lowering Your
Blood Pressure
Contributed by Shawna Gornick-Ilagan, MS, RD, CWPC
Updated by Nutrition411.com staff
Review Date 11/13
G-1073
Limit
Sodium
Exercise
Regularly
Manage
Stress
Lower
Blood
Pressure
Limit
Alcohol
Avoid
Smoking
Maintain Healthy
Weight
Tips to Limit Sodium
Choose more:
• Fresh fruit and vegetables
• Breads
• Cereals
• Plain pasta or rice
• Low-fat milk and yogurt
• Fresh meat and poultry
How Much Sodium?
• Limit sodium to 2400 milligrams (mg)/day, or
1500 mg/day if you are older than 51 years of
age, African American, or have hypertension,
diabetes, or chronic kidney disease
Tips to Limit Sodium
Read labels and look for products that are:
• Sodium free/salt free—less than 5 mg/serving
• Very low sodium—35 mg or less/serving
• Low sodium—140 mg or less/serving
• Less, fewer, or reduced sodium—contain at least
25% less sodium than comparable foods
(always check labels because these foods
sometimes are still high in sodium)
Tips to Limit Sodium
(cont’d)
Choose salt-free seasonings:
• Do not add salt when cooking or at the table
• Use herbs and spices to add flavor to your foods
• Avoid seasonings that contain salt, such as:
̶ Garlic salt
̶ Seasoned salt
Limit or Avoid
These Foods
• Bacon
• Barbecue sauce
• Cheese spreads
• Gravies
• Ham
• Hot dogs
• Ketchup
• Luncheon meats
• Meat sauce
• Salad dressing
• Salt pork
• Sausage
• Some other
condiments
• Soy sauce
Other Foods That Are
High in Sodium
• Bouillon or broth
• Canned sauces
• Canned soups
• Canned vegetables
• Convenience foods
(main course)—
choose ones than
contain less than 8 mg
of sodium/serving
• Fast food
• Frozen dinners
• Packaged potatoes,
rice, and stuffing mixes
• Snack foods, such as
chips and salted nuts
• Tomato and vegetable
juice (regular)
Manage Your Stress
• If left unmanaged, stress can cause emotional,
psychological, and physical problems:
̶ Heart disease
̶ Blood pressure
̶ Chest pain
̶ Irregular heartbeat
• Stress also may cause you to:
̶ Overeat
̶ Exercise less
̶ Have more of a tendency to smoke
Manage Your Stress
(cont’d)
• Identify the stressor
• Avoid hassles and minor irritations, if possible
• Try to continue doing the things that you
enjoyed doing before the change or stress
occurred in your life
• Learn how to manage your time effectively
• Do one thing at a time—take breaks
• Ask for help if you need it
Avoid Smoking
• What if I told you I would pay you $2055 to quit
smoking today?
̶ That is how much you would pay yourself in just
1 year (based on one pack/day at the average price of
$5.63/pack)
Quitting Smoking:
The Health Benefits
• Within 2 days: Improved sense of smell and taste
• 1 to 3 months: Reduced coughing and relief of
sore throat
• 1 year: Risk of heart attack or sudden death cut
in half
• 2 to 3 years: Risk of heart attack (in people
without cardiovascular disease) is as low as for
lifelong nonsmokers
• 5 to 10 years: Risk of stroke is that of a lifelong
nonsmoker
Focus on Activity
• Exercise provides health to your heart, lungs,
and circulation
• Moderate- to vigorous-intensity aerobic activity:
̶ 30 minutes most days of the week at 50% to 85%
maximum heart rate
̶ Maximum heart rate for males=200‒age
̶ Maximum heart rate for females=226‒age
̶ Several sessions are fine—three 10-minute or
two 15-minute sessions to equal 30 minutes
Focus on Activity
(cont’d)
• Physical activity can reduce:
̶ Blood pressure
̶ Cigarette smoking
̶ The chance of you getting diabetes
̶ Extra body weight in the overweight/obese
̶ Triglyceride levels
• Physical activity also can increase high-density
lipoprotein and so much more
Limit Alcohol
• Moderate drinking is defined as:
̶ No more than one drink/day for women
̶ No more than two drinks/day for men
• Drinking more than three drinks/day is
detrimental to heart function
• One drink is equal to:
̶ 12 fluid ounces (fl oz) of beer
̶ 12 fl oz of wine cooler
̶ 5 fl oz of wine
̶ 1.5 fl oz of 80-proof liquor
Maintain a Healthy
Weight
• Losing 5% to 10% of your body weight can
decrease your total cholesterol and low-density
lipoprotein:
̶ Example: Losing 10 to 20 pounds for a 200-pound
person
Maintain a Healthy
Weight (cont’d)
• Lose weight by creating a calorie deficit:
̶ Reduce portions
̶ Try to use calorie-free beverages
̶ Focus on fruits, vegetables, lean meats, low-fat dairy,
and whole grains
̶ Opt for the fat-free, sugar-free versions of foods
̶ Read food labels
̶ Eat three meals/day
̶ Stay well hydrated
Maintain a Healthy
Weight (cont’d)
• Aerobic activities burn the most calories:
̶ Running
̶ Swimming
̶ Bicycling
• Strengthening activities also help build muscle
Questions?