Limited salt consumption: First step towards a healthy BP

If you have recently been diagnosed with hypertension, one of the first things you must have heard from your doctor and family is – reduce your salt intake. At the prospect of eating bland food, you must have thought of the effect of salt on blood pressure, and eating salt without any side effects. The sodium in salt increases water retention in the body and this extra water raises blood pressure along with increasing strain on your kidneys, arteries, brain and heart. Reportedly,  the average salt consumption of Indians is 10.98 grams per day which is more than five times the physiological need i. e. 2 grams per day and more than double of the WHO recommended upper intake limit of 5 grams per day. Restriction of extra salt is of prime importance. Even cutting back by 1,000 mg a day can improve blood pressure and heart health. There are certain things that can be done to safely consume salt such as reducing the consumption of processed and packaged food, knowing other dietary sources of sodium in your diet, opting for healthy substitutes of table salt, and using other spices and condiments to substitute salt in your food.

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