Doctors usually recommend to those who suffer from high blood pressure to reduce the amount of salt at the table. It is hidden in many foods, some of which should be eliminated, reduced or replaced with less harmful products. So here are some tips about it.
1) Avoid frozen dinners
The frozen ready meals may appear as the most convenient means to those who do not have time to cook, when it comes time for lunch or dinner. Especially if you suffer from high blood pressure, you should pay particular attention to the salt content of the same, that could reach 1800 mg per serving, compared to 2300 mg recommended maximum daily sodium intake as. The solution would be to freeze portions of homemade dishes that could be used at times when you will not have time to cook.
2) Replace salt with herbs
In addition to salt, there are other foods that can add flavor to your dishes and you can very well replace the salt. These are the herbs and spices, such as rosemary, parsley, marjoram, horseradish, thyme, paprika, chives, garlic and onion but also dried, possessing the natural property of lowering blood pressure.
3) Avoid ketchup and soy sauce
Ketchup, mayonnaise, mustard and especially soy sauce, can contribute to higher blood pressure because of their sodium content. It would therefore be wise to avoid the most common commercial versions of the sauces, and replace them with homemade preparations low in salt for seasoning salads and sandwiches, or simply with oil and vinegar.
4) Limit canned foods
Other foods that would be good to limit the consumption are canned foods to which salt has been added for storage. It 'necessary to pay attention to the sodium content present in peas, corn and beans in cans, or packaged in containers under glass in tetra pak. The canned vegetables can be easily replaced with their variant frozen (without added sodium) or dried, to be cooked and seasoned simply with herbs.
5) Limit pickles
We refer in particular to olives, onions, capers, gherkins and mushrooms, whose preservative liquids are often very high in sodium. Often not enough rinse thoroughly to remove most of it. The salt is also used for the preparation of canned housewives, but in this case you can adjust independently the quantity. The pickled onions can be replaced by borettane onions to prepare stewed or baked, and mushrooms in oil can be replaced by their variant fresh or dried.
6) Beware of meats and meat products
Not only canned meat, tuna or mackerel in olive oil may contain a high sodium content, but also meats, with particular reference to their smoked version and / or stored under vacuum. Those who suffer from high blood pressure and habitually consume such foods, should always pay attention to the sodium content indicated on the packaging. 100 grams of ham can contain up to 2600 mg of salt. Its contents up to 1600 mg and 1500 mg salami for the cup.
7) Avoid crisps and savory snacks
Chips, pretzels, crackers, bread sticks, popcorn and other snacks that are high in salt should be carefully avoided by those suffering from high blood pressure. They may be replaced by nuts and oil seeds provided they are chosen in their variant without added salt. The popcorn can be easily prepared at home without the addition of salt. Even crackers and breadsticks can be prepared at home or purchased in their low-sodium version.
8) Cooking without salt
This is one of the options that doctors recommend in case of hypertension and more often frightens patients, who fear that they enjoy from then on foods completely devoid of flavor. In fact, cook without salt or a pinch of salt, opting instead for the sea salt, will bring all to rediscover the true flavors of the food. The salt, per se, should not be demonized. Without it, our body disidraterebbe. And 'necessary, however, to use them with caution, especially if you suffer from high blood pressure.
9) Attention cheese
Those who suffer from high blood pressure have to learn to take into account the content of sodium in cheese that usually buy it. Some of them may be, without your knowledge, particularly rich. In most savory cheese sodium content can reach 8%. Among the cheeses with higher sodium content are taleggio (870 mg of sodium per 100 g) and grain (700 mg per 100 grams). It 'so good that people with hypertension adjust accordingly.
10) Indulge in dark chocolate and bananas
After a long series of disclaimers, here's a small consolation, to be granted in small quantities. This is the dark chocolate with a high cocoa content. Its rich content of flavonoids may in fact help to keep the dilated blood vessels and lower blood pressure. Because of their content of potassium, bananas help to maintain cardiovascular health and help combat hypertension blood pressure leading to better values.
