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Reduce Salt to Lower Blood Pressure

Published June 29, 2009 | By Lisa Nelson, RD

Too much sodium in your diet can contribute to high blood pressure and make your blood pressure treatment less effective.

Sodium versus Table Salt

First, let’s clear up the confusion about the difference between sodium and table salt. Table salt is a combination of the two minerals sodium (Na) and chloride (Cl). Table salt is 40% sodium and 60% chloride.

Sodium

Sodium is a mineral that is vital for health. Sodium maintains fluid balance, which is why it plays a key role in blood pressure control.

There is a direct relationship between sodium intake and blood pressure. Reducing sodium to 2.3 grams sodium (6 g table salt) daily is linked with decreased blood pressure levels.

Sodium Intake

A typical U.S. diet means a high sodium diet. The average American consumes 6-18 grams of table salt daily (about 3 teaspoons). The body only needs 200 mg daily. That is 30 times less than what American’s typically consume.

To be heart healthy, sodium intake should be reduced to less than 2300 mg (1 teaspoon) daily.

Sources

Sodium is found naturally in food, but most sodium we consume has been added for food preservation and preparation. To successfully reduce sodium intake you need to be aware of the table salt you add to foods and the sodium pre-added to foods.

75% of the typical American diet comes from processed foods – sauces, soups, condiments, canned foods, and prepared mixes. Fast food is another common source of sodium.

Tips to Reduce Sodium Intake

Use less salt at the table and when cooking.

If you automatically add salt to food before tasting it, this is the first place to start cutting back. You have many options for flavoring your food in place of salt – salt substitute, herbs, and spices.

If you want to try salt substitute, check with your MD. Salt substitutes contain potassium and needs to be monitored if you have kidney disorders.

Read labels when buying prepared and prepackaged foods.

When reading labels, here are some terms to avoid:

• Salt (sodium chloride)
• Monosodium glutamate (also called MSG)
• Baking soda (sodium bicarbonate)
• Baking powder
• Disodium phosphate

Select canned, frozen, and snack foods without added salt, such as unsalted nuts, unsalted broths, and no added salt canned vegetables. Better yet, switch from canned vegetables to frozen with no added salt or fresh veggies. Limit salty snacks like chips, pretzels, and salted nuts. Cheese is anther high sodium source.

Make healthy choices when dining out.

Here are some tips to enjoy a meal out and maintain a low sodium intake:

• Use pepper for extra seasoning instead of salt.
• Avoid sauces or gravies.
• Order broiled and baked meats.
• Avoid seasoned or blackened menu items.
• Avoid menu items with a lot of cheese.
• Avoid soy sauce and MSG.

Salty flavor is something you have trained your body to prefer. You can retrain your taste buds over time with the ultimate goal of lowering high blood pressure.

To receive heart health and weight loss tips from dietitian Lisa Nelson, subscribe to The Heart of Health and grab your free report “Stop Wasting Money – Take Control of Your Health” today!

All the best,
Lisa Nelson RD

Posted in Heart Health | Tagged blood pressure, how to, lower, reduce, salt, sodium, table

Garlic to Lower Blood Pressure

Published June 25, 2009 | By Lisa Nelson, RD

There are numerous health claims surrounding garlic. . .do you think they’re true? Let’s discuss garlic to lower blood pressure.

Research studies have found a link between the right type and amount of garlic and a lower blood pressure. The average reduction in systolic (top number) blood pressure was ~5-8 mm Hg. Garlic is linked to a reduction in diastolic blood pressure, but the decrease isn’t large enough to be statistically significant.

Garlic contains many components that may be responsible for this decrease in blood pressure.

Natural ACE inhibitors
Magnesium
Phosphorus
Adenosine
Allicin

These components promote arterial dilation, which means a widening of the arteries, to make blood flow easier and lower blood pressure.

Studies indicate 10,000 mcg of allicin are needed daily to result in a lower blood pressure. To gain 10,000 mcg of allicin you’d need to consume 4 cloves or 4 grams of garlic daily.

Some easy ways to increase the garlic in your diet:

Chop fresh garlic and add to stews or a stir-fry.
Use as a seasoning and add to vegetables, meat, poultry, fish and soup.

Now, you can’t rely on garlic alone to get your blood pressure back within a normal levels. But including more garlic in your diet is one easy step towards promoting a lower blood pressure. Be sure to sign up for the free e-course 7 Natural Ways to Lower Blood Pressure.

All the best,
Lisa Nelson RD
How to Lower Cholesterol and Blood Pressure
to a Healthy, Life Sustaining Level Without Drugs

Posted in Heart Health, Lower Blood Pressure | Tagged garlic, garlic to lower blood pressure, lower blood pressure, natural ways to lower blood pressure

Food Product Recall – Do you ignore food recalls?

Published June 23, 2009 | By Lisa Nelson, RD

Rutgers University surveyed over 1,000 individuals and 60% reported searching their homes for potentially contaminated food products when they learn about a food product recall. Survey results show that 40% believe “It’s can’t happen to me” and do not take precautions.

Here are some of the interesting survey statistics:

64% pay attention to food-safety news
81% spread the word about food product recall/problems
25% throw out possibly contaminated food
12% eat food the think may be recalled

Where do you fall?

All the best,
Lisa Nelson RD
Heart Healthy Tips

Posted in Heart Health | Tagged contamination, food product recall, food recall, food safety, safety

Fat and Weight Loss – Do you need to eat fat to lose fat?

Published June 22, 2009 | By Lisa Nelson, RD

When it’s time to lose weight, many of us are trained to think “cut back on fat”. In a previous post – What’s the right amount of fat? – I discussed fat soluble vitamins, how much fat you should include in your daily diet, and some healthy fat sources. Now I want to cover one other important contribution fat makes when it comes to losing weight.

One of the beauties of fat is that it helps us to feel full. Fat is often referred to as the “satiety nutrient.” Have you ever eaten a meal that has been non fat or extremely low in fat? If so, then you might know what I mean. That meal typically doesn’t keep you satisfied for very long which leads to eating more food to get satisfaction. This can result in an overall higher calorie intake!

So for your weight loss efforts, it’s important to curb your appetite by including adequate fat sources with your meals and some snacks! Sixty grams of fat per day can add up quickly so you’ll want to make sure you’re making mindful choices.

Being careful you do not restrict your fat intake too low and include healthy fat sources in your diet everyday is just one of many factors that affect weight loss. To drastically increase your success with losing weight and keeping it off you must wade through all the weight loss information available and sort out what works from what doesn’t. Many methods used to lose weight are ineffective and some may even sabotage your weight loss efforts. Sign up for the FREE teleclass The 5 Biggest Dieting Myths Revealed to learn which weight loss strategies really work. Visit https://www.lisanelsonrd.com/newu/call.html to learn more today.

All the best,
Lisa Nelson RD
5 Biggest Dieting Myths Revealed

Posted in Lose Weight | Tagged diet, dieting, dietitians, fat, fat and weight loss, lose, loss, weight

The Great Cholesterol Lie – Dr. Lundell

Published June 18, 2009 | By Lisa Nelson, RD

Dr. Lundell is a heart surgeon who wrote the book The Great Cholesterol Lie. In the book he discusses the effect of statin medication on cholesterol levels. He’s against the use of statin medication. I’ve put together an email series of four articles written by Dr. Lundell. They cover the following topics:

The Tragic Cholesterol Theory
Cardiac Surgeon Admits Mistake
The Great Statin Scam
Crestor Study, JUPITER Results Hardly Exciting

If you are considering statin medications or currently take statin meds, I recommend you learn more about what Dr. Lundell has to share.

You can use the form below to access the article series or go to https://www.lisanelsonrd.com/lundell.html to sign-up.

The Great Cholesterol Lie – Instant Article Series and [Heart Health] Access

First Name *
Primary E-Mail *
Mail Format	HTML Text

*PRIVACY POLICY– Your Email Is Safe With Me
I will never sell, rent, or trade your email. I hate spam, too!

Posted in Heart Health, Lower Cholesterol | Tagged cholesterol, great cholesterol lie, lundell, medication, statins

Weight Loss – Can you snack and still lose weight?

Published June 16, 2009 | By Lisa Nelson, RD

There is a general perception that snacking is bad and you need to cut out snacking if you want to lose weight. Well, the opposite is actually true.

It is important to eat regularly, every 3-4 hours to maintain your metabolic rate, promote stable blood sugar levels, and prevent insulin spikes. By maintaining a high metabolism you boost the calories you burn throughout the day, which helps you lose weight. By maintaining stable blood sugar levels and preventing insulin spikes you will prevent drops in energy.

Now, this doesn’t mean just any food will work. You need to select heart healthy snacks. This means eating snacks that balance carbohydrates with protein and/or heart healthy fats. Fat and protein slow the breakdown of carbohydrates, preventing the rapid rise in blood sugar and the corresponding increased insulin release.

Here are healthy snacks that are high in carbohydrates:

Whole grain crackers
Dried Fruit
Pretzels
Fig bars
Fresh fruit

You can make these snacks heart healthy by combining with a protein. These protein sources that are easy to include with snacks:

Glass of skim milk
Yogurt
Cheese
Nuts
Peanut Butter

Here’s an example of how you can apply this to your daily snacks.

Mid-morning snack: Yogurt with granola
Mid-afternoon snack: Nuts mixed with dried fruit
Evening snack: Light frozen yogurt topped with strawberries

Balancing the carbohydrates and protein in your snacks is just one of many factors that affect weight loss. To drastically increase your success with losing weight and keeping it off you must wade through all the weight loss information available and sort out what works from what doesn’t. Many methods used to lose weight are ineffective and some may even sabotage your weight loss efforts. Sign up for the FREE teleclass The 5 Biggest Dieting Myths Revealed to learn which weight loss strategies really work. Visit https://www.lisanelsonrd.com/newu/call.html to learn more today.

All the best,
Lisa Nelson RD
5 Biggest Dieting Myths Revealed

Posted in Lose Weight | Tagged dieting, lose weight, snacking, snacks, weight loss

Reduce Salt to Lower Blood Pressure

Garlic to Lower Blood Pressure

Food Product Recall – Do you ignore food recalls?

Fat and Weight Loss – Do you need to eat fat to lose fat?

The Great Cholesterol Lie – Dr. Lundell

Weight Loss – Can you snack and still lose weight?

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