Be Careful Of Eating Too Much Salt!

Our bodies need salt in small amounts (about 2300 mg / day) and too much salt intake can lead to hypertension. Hypertension is one of the deadly diseases in the world and the excessive intake of salt causes hypertension when the salt in the blood vessels bind / absorb water so that the blood volume increases, and consequently this increases blood pressure. Hypertension is a disease in which the blood pressure condition stands at 140/90 mmHg or more and if we do not deal with the disease properly, it can be a trigger of stroke, heart disease and even to kidney failure. It has been determined that the macro nutrients that play a large role in hypertension are salt.

Hypertensive patients are encouraged to reduce their daily salt intake and the amount is determined according to the level of his/her diet. The purpose for restriction of salt intake is to help lower blood pressure, especially for people with hypertension (high blood pressure) and it helps eliminate the accumulation of salt / water in body tissues (ascites or edema).

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Natural food and almost all foods already contain sodium, but with different content. The highest sodium content occurs in processed or packaged foods, and it is recommended to always look at the composition of nutrients (sodium / potassium) contained in the food processing / packaging.

We should be wary of foods with high sodium content in the following foods:

  1. Foods preserved with salt such as salted fish, salted eggs, pickled vegetables and pickled fruits.
  2. Processed foods such as shredded meats, jerky, bacon, cornet and the like.
  3. Processed foods with added sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) contained in products like cake, and salted biscuits.
  4. Processed foods made from or with the addition of cheese and butter.
  5. A variety of prepared foods with high sodium content contained in burgers, sausages, pizza, and fried chicken. In addition to the high sodium content, their nutritional values are also not balanced because of the high fat, less fiber and less vitamins.
  6. Various spices ready packaged like MSG, chicken stock, beef stock, and the like.

However, people with hypertension do not have to worry or be discouraged because they can eat a wider variety of foods with a composition of a balanced diet and activities. Here are the tips:

  1. Your diet should consist of carbohydrate sources like rice, yams, cassava, corn, potatoes, bread, biscuits, and processed product. Protein sources, consisting of: animal proteins in various types of fresh fish, shrimp, squid, crab, beef, buffalo meat, mutton, chicken, and eggs. Vegetable with protein such as tofu, soy bean cake, soy beans, red beans, green beans, peanuts, and other dairy products. Sources of fiber and vitamins found in a variety of fresh vegetables such as carrots, cauliflower, string beans, spinach, and kale. Fruits such as mangoes, oranges, apples, grapes, kiwi, papaya, and watermelon.
  2. Have enough fluid/water intake.
  3. Participate in sports regularly.
  4. In addition to a balanced diet, we must consider fresh food that is cooked once (it is not recommended that we warm food many times).
  5. Select various menu and types of food to avoid boredom or saturation.
  6. Prioritize using natural fresh herbs such as onions, garlic, galangal, ginger, turmeric, basil leaves, coriander leaves, bay leaves, lemongrass, lime leaves, etc to reduce the excessive use of salt and they can also add better aromas and flavors to the food.
  7. To avoid boredom with home food, if you occasionally want to use a finished product, choose a product that contains a low-salt diet. It is recommended to always look at the composition of sodium and potassium content when we consume these kinds of products.

To happy living with a healthy diet!

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