Coming from a family inheritance of high blood pressure, I felt this was a topic I should address. I am not a salt lover...I salt when cooking but the salt shaker is not on the dinner table. Well unless company is here, I just had family for a week (sad that they had to go home). The salt shaker was used at every meal...which got me thinking. The recommended daily sodium intake is only 2400 mg or a mere teaspoon. It doesn't just come from the salt shaker, many processed foods are very high in sodium.
This leads me back to the question does salt cause high blood pressure? The answer is no!! Large-scale scientific reviews have determined there's no reason for people with normal blood pressure to restrict their sodium intake. Now, if you already have high blood pressure, you may be "salt sensitive." As a result, reducing the amount of salt you eat could be helpful.
This was a surprise in my research of the topic, after all when I lost weight my doctor cut my dosage in half. How did that happen? In a research done by Duke University states this.... It's been known for the past 20 years that people with high blood pressure who don't want to lower their salt intake can simply consume more potassium-containing foods. Why? Because it's really the balance of the two minerals that matters. In fact, Dutch researchers determined that a low potassium intake has the same impact on your blood pressure as high salt consumption does. And it turns out, the average guy consumes 3,100 milligrams (mg) of potassium a day—1,600 mg less than recommended.
Therefore, When we eat a healthy diet we consume a much higher Potassium level. Foods that contain high levels of Potassium are those such as fruits, vegetables and legumes. Foods such as bananas, white potatoes and spinach have more than 400 mg of Potassium in each serving.
Now we need sodium for our bodies to function properly for the following reasons: Helps maintain the right balance of fluids in your body, helps transmit nerve impulse, and it influences the contraction and relaxation of muscles. Too much salt can lead to serious health problems. Let's see if you can "Shake" the habit