Sodium is an essential mineral for the body, which is needed to make stomach acid, maintain water balance, contract muscles, absorb nutrients in the gut, conduct nerve impulses, maintain water-mineral balance, and balance blood pressure. When it comes to blood pressure, it's important to understand how to regulate sodium. Sodium is lost from the body through sweating, vomiting or diarrhea, and as a side effect of certain urination medications.
What is sodium?
Sodium chloride i.e. salt contains 40% sodium and 60% chloride. Excessive salt intake can prove to be dangerous for BP patients. But food without salt tastes bland, due to which people increase the amount of salt in food to make it tasty. Let's know how to identify whether your diet is high in sodium or not-
- Persistent headaches
- Brain Fog
- Muscle stiffness
- sensitivity to light
- feeling low on energy
If you feel all these symptoms, you should get your sodium level checked and manage your high sodium diet accordingly.
In such a situation, manage your high sodium diet–
- Season food with natural herbs or no added salt seasonings instead of salt. Keep such flavor boosters which double the taste of food and also do not make you feel the lack of salt. Things like apple cider vinegar, red wine vinegar, low sodium hot sauce, aromatic herbs, rosemary, basil, ginger, turmeric, lemon juice add flavor to food, due to which the taste of salt seems balanced with good flavor in the food.
- Serve fresh food instead of packaged or processed food, which has less salt. 75% of the sodium we eat comes from processed food like cheese, pizza, sauces etc. Avoid such food. Eat more fruits and vegetables.
- A child should be given a low sodium diet since childhood so that he/she does not have to face problems like high blood pressure or obesity after a certain time.
- Before buying any food item, read the label written on it. Choose only un-salted or low sodium version products.
- Choose dry beans or grains that can help you control the right amount of sodium.
