Potassium-rich plant foods include tomatoes, spinach, sweet potatoes, avocados, dried apricots, bananas, oranges, and cantaloupe. The AHA recommends four to five servings each of fruits and vegetables per day, totaling eight to 10 servings. 'The best thing to do is eat higher-potassium foods like fruits and vegetables,' Dr. Potassium does not directly lower sodium, but getting adequate amounts of it can help to counteract sodium's effect on blood pressure. And of course, maintaining a healthy weight by itself helps prevent a range of illnesses. 'If you reduce your caloric intake, you are eating less of processed and restaurant foods that have sodium,' Dr. This is why achieving and maintaining a healthy weight helps to limit sodium consumption. The more food you eat, the more sodium you will consume. You may be surprised by how much the sodium content for a food differs depending on how it's prepared, or how the sodium content of the same dish varies from one restaurant to another.Ĭut back on calories. Restaurants do not have to disclose the nutritional content of their products, although some do so online, or may provide details at the restaurant if you ask. That doesn't mean you should never eat at restaurants instead, choose lower-sodium items when you can.įor example, sauces tend to be salty, so order meals without sauces or ask for the sauce on the side so you can dip rather than slather. Restaurant meals, especially those purchased at chain restaurants, can be packed with sodium. sandwiches (including burgers) from fast-food restaurants.poultry (including fresh poultry, which is often injected with a salt solution, and processed poultry, such as preseasoned fillets and chicken nuggets).Pay special attention to sodium content when shopping for processed foods among the AHA's 'salty six': Also, buy whole, unprocessed foods and prepare them yourself at home. Use the nutrition labels to compare, and try the version with less sodium per serving. That's important, because different brands of the same types of foods may differ sharply in the amount of sodium they contain. Reading nutrition labels will make you more aware of how much sodium you consume per portion of a food. Sodium also sneaks in with other additives. Added salt (sodium chloride) contributes to your sodium intake, of course. Here are several things you can do to help reduce your daily sodium intake: 'In the United States, there is sodium in virtually everything.' What can you do?

Joanne Foody, director of cardiovascular wellness services at Harvard-affiliated Brigham and Women's Hospital. 'Perfection is the enemy of the good,' says Dr. Maintaining a healthy weight and emphasizing whole plant-based foods can also help. That starts with a greater awareness of the sodium in your food. Continue to take reasonable steps to keep your sodium intake in check. The fact that scientists don't agree on everything about sodium and health isn't a reason to do nothing.

Reducing sodium intake lowers overall health risks, although it's difficult to predict in a given individual how much of a blood pressure reduction is required to prevent a heart attack or stroke. The ideal daily intake of sodium is still a topic of intense debate among experts, although they do generally agree that Americans get too much sodium. In fact, throwing away your saltshaker would not really solve your problem.' How low to go 'It is not just using too much salt from a saltshaker at home. Elliott Antman, professor of medicine at Harvard-affiliated Brigham and Women's Hospital and the president of the American Heart Association (AHA). 'About three-quarters of the sodium that the average person takes in each day comes from processed foods we purchase in the supermarket or restaurant meals we eat out,' says Dr. If the trend continues, many more Americans could end up with high blood pressure and face higher risks of heart attack and stroke. The average intake for men ages 20 and older is even higher: just above 4,200 mg per day. What we do know is that the average American gets too much sodium-about 3,400 milligrams (mg) per day, or the amount of sodium in 1.5 teaspoons of table salt. There is no sim ple test you can take-like having your cholesterol checked-to make sure you are in the sodium safe zone. As for how much sodium an individual takes in from all sources, it's hard to say. How's your sodium intake this week? Most health-conscious men already know that sodium raises blood pressure-and that high blood pressure, in turn, boosts the risk of heart disease and stroke. A few simple steps can help you reduce your sodium intake and improve heart health.

Sodium normal range men