In other words, read the labels. Whenever you buy any food with a nutrition label, glance at sodium content. One 8-ounce tin of stewed tomatoes can contain over 800 milligrams of sodium, while another might have only 70. You often have to look hard for low-sodium cereals. Shredded wheat is one of the low-salt ones.
Sodium-free is a good phrase to look for on a label. Light soy sauce, for instance, can still have 605 milligrams of sodium per tablespoon.
While bread is often a nutritious, wholesome food, occasionally it’s high in salt. If you buy it fresh at a bakery where it isn’t labeled, don’t be shy about asking how much salt is in each loaf. The amount is variable, and it can be almost nothing or as high as 2 tablespoons for a 2-pound loaf.
When you’re buying canned foods, salt can be a real problem. In most cases, however, rinsing the food will eliminate a good percentage of the salt. If you don’t have a can of beans that states its low-sodium, for example, you can rinse off at least half the salt the food was packed in. To get the best results, rinse foods such as beans or tuna under running water twice.
A cup of nonfat yogurt contains about 415 milligrams of calcium which is best those having problem of high blood pressure. Besides low-fat and nonfat dairy products, your best sources of calcium include tofu, calcium-fortified orange juice, kale, broccoli, and collard greens.
Since produce is the cornerstone of a diet for healthy blood pressure, you should always be looking for ways to get more fruits and vegetables. Here are a few suggestions.
o Roast vegetables, lightly drizzled with light olive oil, in the oven.
o Buy prewashed or even precut salads for busy days.
o Order a fruit plate as an appetizer before your meal in a restaurant.
o Ear two vegetarian dinners a week.
When you’re picking up produce, be sure to grab some apples, pears, and oranges. These three fruits are fiber queens. And heart researchers are starting to find that not only does fiber decrease dangerous cholesterol, it may also lower blood pressure. Fruit fiber made a strong showing in a study at Harvard Medical School, where scientists tracked more than 30,000 men. The men in the study who ate less than 12 grams of fruit fiber a day (about four oranges or three apples or pears) were 60 percent more likely to develop high blood pressure.
Finally, it’s essential to reduce the amount of fat in your diet. You don’t have to be fanatical, however, instead of cutting out fat with a cleaver, start by slicing it off with a scalpel, bit by bit. Make small, gradual changes that will cut the total amount of fat you use in half. Buy butter substitutes and lower-fat versions of margarine. Use mustard instead of mayonnaise and snack on low-salt pretzels instead of potato chips.
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