Cut the Salt, Keep the Flavor [Infographic]

Is Salt Bad for You?

They call it the silent killer.

High blood pressure often has no physical symptoms but if it remains high it can lead to heart disease and worse.

A big time player in high blood pressure?

Excess sodium in your diet.

Too much sodium can lead to high blood pressure or hypertension, especially in high-risk populations, like those who already have elvated blood pressure or diabetes, African Americans or those over 50.

How?

When you consume too much sodium your kidneys struggle to get it all out of the bloodstream. Instead, the body holds on to more water to dilute the sodium leading to an increase in blood volume. That increased blood volume not only means more work for the heart, it also puts more pressure on blood vessels.

Over time this leads to high blood pressure, heart attack or heart failure, not to mention all the damage to your kidneys.

Even if you don’t have high blood pressure, excess sodium can lead to problems with the heart, kidneys and even bones.

How can you prevent this damage?

  • Cut out or reduce processed foods- these are the number one source of sodium in the diet
  • Make sure you are eating foods rich in potassium as potassium helps combat the effects of a high sodium diet.
  • Use lemon juice or herbs and spices in place of salt when you cook.

Here is a great guide on how to use spices to flavor your food:

Is salt bad for you? They call it the silent killer! Check out these seasonings and herb pairings and give your food some serious flavor without overdoing it on the salt!

You can check out the infographic here.

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