Eat less salt!

In our previous post, CVD - A Killer, we disclosed that Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in Malaysia and also worldwide, and HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE is a major risk factor. Are you at risk?

In Malaysia, there are 5.8 MILLION of people who is having high blood pressure, a high-sodium diet may be to blame. In certain people, sodium or salt increases the blood pressure as it holds excess fluid in the body, increasing the burden on the heart. Too much salt in the diet also increases risk for stroke, heart failure, osterporosis, stomach cancer and kidney disease.

Reduce Salt in Your Diet

Basically, the more you eat food with little or no salt the better it is. According to the American Heart Association, we should AIM TO EAT LESS THAN 1500 mg of sodium per day which is around 6 grams of salt - > one teaspoon

Tips for Reducing Sodium in the Diet

• Read the Nutrition Facts Label to compare and find foods lower in sodium.

• Choose fresh fruits and vegetables
• Limit the amount of processed foods.
• Avoid FAST FOOD.
• Avoid adding salt when cooking and/or eating.
• Try use spice and herbs to replace salt in cooking.

How much Sodium is in Salt?

Salty Six - Common Foods Loaded with Excess Sodium

AHA also listed out the 6 popular foods that contains high amount of salt.

Reducing your salt intake definitely give benefits to your heart and hopefully with a few points given from here. You are able to make the SMART choice and further reduce your risk to cardiovascular heart disease.

Source:

1. American Heart Association
2. National Heart Association of Malaysia
3. British Heart Foundation