Avoiding sodium and salt should be your primary goal

But you also have another way that many people don’t know or do, eating more potassium. Potassium plays an important role in lowering blood pressure.

Salt Gives High Blood Pressure Potassium Gives Low Blood Pressure

The Dangers of Foods with Salt

About 98 percent of Americans eat more than twice as much sodium and salt than is recommended for a healthy diet, consuming an average of 3,436 milligrams daily.

Most foods in their natural state contain some sodium and salt. But more than 75 percent of the sodium that Americans consume comes from processed foods, which increase your blood pressure by holding excess fluid in your body, burdening your heart.

If we cut the average daily sodium and salt intake by more than half, to less than 1,500 milligrams per day, as the American Heart Association recommends — high blood pressure would decrease nearly 26 percent and more than $26 billion in healthcare costs would be saved over just a year.

The Power of Potassium

The more potassium we consume, the more sodium – salt is excreted through urine and out of the body. Potassium helps relax blood vessel walls, which helps lower blood pressure. Consuming more potassium is not an excuse to not be concerned about the amount of sodium and salt in your diet.

Potassium-rich natural foods include:

  • Sweet potatoes.
  • Potatoes.
  • Greens.
  • Spinach.
  • Mushrooms.
  • Lima beans.
  • Peas.
  • Bananas.
  • Tomatoes, tomato juice, and tomato sauce (look for low-sodium versions.)
  • Oranges and orange juice.
  • Cantaloupe and honeydew melons.
  • Grapefruit and grapefruit juice.
  • Prunes and prune juice.
  • Apricots and apricot juice.
  • Raisins and dates.
  • Fat-free or low-fat 1 percent milk.
  • Fat-free yogurt.
  • Halibut.
  • Tuna.
  • Molasses.

Many of the natural sources of potassium; fruits, fat-free or low-fat dairy foods, and fish; are part of the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (D.A.S.H.) eating plan.

The recommended daily intake of potassium for an average adult is about 4,700 milligrams. But it’s only part of your total diet. Other factors that may affect blood pressure include amount and type of dietary fat, cholesterol, protein and fiber, calcium, and magnesium.

Potassium also affects the balance of fluids in your body. So talk to your healthcare provider before taking over-the-counter potassium supplements. When we get older, our kidneys become less able to remove potassium from our blood, you should consult with your doctor before trying salt substitutes. These contain potassium chloride that can be harmful if you have certain medical conditions.

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