Lower your sodium to increase your life

“Too much sodium (salt) in your diet may affect your health,” said Cindy Bond-Zielinski to the Cambridge Lions Club. “It can affect people with heart disease or contribute to high blood pressure.” (Pictured left:  Cindy Bond-Zielinski and Lion Tim McKim)

Bond-Zielinski is an extension educator with The Ohio State University Extension Office located at the county fairgrounds and serving a multi-county area.

“High blood pressure can also be a contributing factor in strokes,” Bond-Zielinski said. “You should check with your doctor to see if your blood pressure is affected by too much sodium. Sometimes little changes in your diet can have a big effect on lowering your blood pressure.”

“Cutting out one teaspoon of salt in your daily diet can help,” Bond-Zielinski said. “It’s not just the salt you add at the table or when you are cooking. It’s also the added salt in processed foods.”

“If you read the labels on the foods you buy, you may see a lot of sodium has been added. You can cut down on the amount of sodium if you make healthy choices. Processed soup can have a lot of sodium.”

“Prepackaged foods can have sodium added,” Bond-Zielinski said. “Vegetables are good for you, but canned vegetables may have a lot of sodium, and that’s not so good. Preparing fresh vegetables can be better for your blood pressure.”

“You can’t change certain things in your life,” Bond-Zielinski said. “You can’t change your inherited genetic factors that make some people more sensitive to the effects of sodium.”

“You can’t change your age, and aging can add to your risk of high blood pressure. You can’t change whether you are male or female. Males may have a higher risk of heart disease.”

“You can reduce your risk of high blood pressure by making some small changes in your diet,” Bond-Zielinski said. “We don’t always eat high sodium content foods every day. We usually get a variety.”

“You don’t have to give up these foods entirely. You just need to read the labels and reduce the amount of sodium you eat. You need to make healthy choices on a regular basis.”

“Processed meats like salami, baloney, hot dogs, and bacon are high in sodium. Preparing meat with other seasonings rather than with salt can help reduce your daily sodium intake.”

“That’s the key,” Bond-Zielinski said. “It’s how you prepare the food you eat that can make a difference. You can add other spices and seasonings rather than reaching for the salt.”

“You can season beef with marjoram, onion, pepper, sage and thyme. You can use oregano, paprika, rosemary, and other seasonings on chicken. You can use dill, dry mustard, curry powder and pepper on fish.”

“You don’t have to cook with a lot of salt. When you have a sandwich add a little lettuce and a slice of tomato instead of reaching for the salt shaker. You can add other herbs to enhance the flavor.”

“The recommended daily allowances shown on the food labels are for a serving size and based on the average person. An average person is five feet seven inches tall and weighs one hundred fifty pounds. You need to adjust for your own height and weight.”

“The average person consumes too much sodium. We advocate reducing the amount of sodium in you diet by making healthy choices on a regular basis.”