Sometimes your taste buds crave something savoury, like a salty handful of snacks or chips. But you may have heard that too much salt (or sodium) is bad for your heart. In this article we’ll explore how excess salt affects heart health and some tips for reducing sodium for reducing salt intake.
Salt and The Heart
Walk with me as we take a closer look at the consequences of consuming too much salt, making three important stops along the way:
1. Cardiovascular Disease
Too much salt can harm your heart by raising blood pressure, a major risk factor for cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), which can damage blood vessels, make them more prone to blockages and increase the risk of heart diseases and strokes. This clearly shows how salt affects your heart health.
2. Heart Failure
When you eat too much salt it can raise blood pressure and force the heart to work harder to pump blood throughout the body. Over time this can stretch the heart muscle leading to cardiac hypertrophy (the heart becomes thicker and larger than normal) and increase the risk of heart failure.
3. Kidney Disease
Eating too much salt can put extra pressure on the kidneys as they work to get rid of the excess sodium from the body. This added pressure can cause kidney damage or chronic kidney disease.
Now that we’ve reached the end of the journey it’s clear that excess salt is a problem for everyone. The American Heart Association recommends adults limit sodium to no more than 2,300 milligrams per day. While for those at risk of heart disease or high blood pressure, it’s 1,500 milligrams per day.
Tips For Reducing Sodium Intake
The following methods show tips for reducing sodium intake effectively:
1. Read food labels
Cutting back on sodium is tough but it’s doable by reading food labels. Food labels show sodium content, choose foods products low in sodium content. When choosing food labels, low sodium is defined as 140 mg of sodium per serving.
2. Use herbs and spices
Use herbs and spices like cinnamon, black pepper, ginger, nutmeg, clove and garlic powder, in your cooking. It does not only reduces the excess usage of salt, it also adds flavour and depth to your dish.
3. Cook from scratch
Cooking from scratch gives you control over the salt in your food, makes your food fresh and full of low-sodium flavours. It is also cost effective and it helps to retain the natural nutrients in your food.
How do you cook from the scratch? Begin with simple recipes, plan your meals, buy heart-healthy and low-sodium food products, try out herbs and spices.
READ ALSO: Best And Worst Foods for Your Heart.
4. Select low-sodium diets
Another tips for reducing sodium intake is to opt for low-sodium options. Food options low in sodium like root crops, whole grains, unsalted nuts and leafy green vegetables, are your best picks for those who are at risk of heart disease.
5. Limit processed foods
Try to limit processed foods. Foods like processed meats and canned goods are high in sodium, as are many restaurant meals and soy sauce. Limit those where you can.
6. Gradually reduce sodium intake
Gradually reducing your sodium intake will help your taste buds adjust. For example, if you’re used to adding a lot of salt to your food, try reducing the amount you add by a small deduction every day or each week. You can also start by reducing sodium in one or two meals per day and gradually work your way up to all meals. This approach is among the recommended tips for reducing sodium intake.
Conclusion
Excessive salt consumption has serious consequences for heart health. Reducing sodium intake and following the above-outlined tips helps lower blood pressure and reduces the risk of heart disease.
Understanding how salt affects your heart and applying tips for reducing sodium intake is important. Making small daily habit changes and being mindful of food is a crucial step towards protecting your heart health slowly but surely.
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