High Blood Pressure Symptoms

Cut down on salt

There is a link between having too much salt in your diet and high blood pressure. It is the sodium in the salt that contributes to high blood pressure. The body needs very small amounts to function properly and we are eating much more than twice what we need. In fact, reducing your salt intake by about 5 grams a day can lower your blood pressure by about 5mmHg. The target should be to have less than 6 grams of salt a day, although we don’t even need as much as this.

Try cooking without adding any salt, and not adding salt to your food at the table. Most of the salt you eat is ‘hidden’ in processed foods and bread. Check the ingredients labels on foods to find out which have the least salt. Choose ‘low-sodium’ or ‘low-salt’ products and avoid foods that contain a lot of salt such as sauces, canned soups, processed meats and snacks.You will find that within a month your taste will have adjusted and you won’t need so much salt to enjoy the flavour of your food.