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Consumer Information Center High Blood Pressure Treat it for Life

Consumer Information Center - High Blood Pressure: Treat it for Life
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Section 2 High Blood Pressure:
Treat it for Life

Taking Action To Control High Blood Pressure Cont...

Choose foods low in salt and sodium.

Americans eat more salt (sodium chloride) and other forms of sodium than they need. And guess what? They also have high rates of high blood pressure.


CALORIES BURNED DURING
PHYSICAL ACTIVITIES*

Activity Calories Burned Per Hour
Bicycling, 6 mph 240
Bicycling, 12 mph 410
Cross-country skiing 700
Jogging, 5-1/2 mph 740
Jogging, 7 mph 920
Jumping rope 750
Running in place 650
Running, 10 mph 1,280
Swimming, 25 yds/min 275
Swimming, 50 yds/min 500
Tennis-singles 400
Walking, 2 mph 240
Walking, 3 mph 320
Walking, 4-1/2 mph 440

· · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · ·

*Note: These figures are for a 150-pound person. The amount of calories you burn depends on how much you weigh. The more you weigh, the more calories you burn. To find the number of calories you would burn in any activity, divide your weight by 150 and multiply that result by the number of calories for an activity. For example, how much would a 100-pound person burn in 1 hour of bicycling at 6 mph? First divide 100 by 150 to get 0.67. Then multiply 0.67 by 240 calories. That equals 160 calories. A 200-pound person bicycling for 1 hour at 6 mph would burn 320 calories—200/150 multiplied by 240.

Source: Exercise and Your Heart—A Guide to Physical Activity, NIH Publication No. 93-1677, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute/American Heart Association.


Studies show that when some people cut back on salt and sodium, their blood pressure drops. It happens particularly among African-Americans and the elderly.

Sodium occurs naturally in foods. It also is added to food in various ways: during processing, cooking, or at the table.

{short description of image} People with high blood pressure should eat no more than about 2.4 grams (2,400 milligrams) of sodium a day. That equals 6 grams or 1 teaspoon of table salt. But remember that the 6 grams includes ALL salt eaten—including that in processed foods and added during cooking or at the tale. And for people with high normal blood pressure, cutting back on salt and sodium is also a good way to prevent blood pressure from rising.

These days, it’s easier than ever to keep track of how much salt and sodium you eat. Information on salt and sodium is available on new food labels (see next page). Tips on how to reduce your salt and sodium intake are on page 3. The sodium content of some foods is listed beginning on page 20. This list also highlights foods high in saturated fat and cholesterol that you may need to eat less of is you have high blood cholesterol. (To get a more complete list, check the section on getting more information.) Also, see the sample menus and recipes.

Read The Label

{short description of image} Reading food labels will help you choose foods low in calories, total and saturated fat, cholesterol, and sodium. Labels have two important parts: the nutrition information and the ingredients list. Also, some labels have different claims like "reduced" or "light". Here’s a closer look at labels.

Read the nutrition information

Look for the amount of calories, sodium, total and saturated fat on a food product’s nutrition label, shown at the left. If you have high blood pressure, compare similar products to find the one with the smallest amounts of sodium, as well as fat and calories if you also need to lose weight.

Look at the ingredients

All food labels list the product’s ingredients in descending order by weight. The ingredient in the greatest amount is listed first. The ingredient in the least amount is listed last. So, when watching your sodium look on the label for the words "sodium" or "salt." As you can see from the ingredients box to the left, if either word is listed first or more than once on the label, then the food probably has a lot of sodium.

. . . . . Learning the Claims on Labels . . . . .

Just what does "sodium free" or "low sodium" mean? Here are the answers:

·Sodium free = less than 5 mg of sodium in a serving

·Low sodium = 140 mg or less of sodium in a serving

·Very low sodium = 35 mg or less of sodium in a serving

·Reduced or less sodium = sodium at 25 percent less per serving than the regular version of that food

·Light or light in sodium = sodium at least 50 percent less per serving than the regular version of that food

·No salt added = no salt is added during processing in a food that usually has salt added

Pork Principles

Many people think pork should not be eaten when trying to cut back on sodium. But fresh pork usually has no more sodium than do beef and poultry. Here are a few principles to help you keep pork dishes low in sodium:

  • Choose fresh lean pork like pork chops, pork loin, or pork roast. Fresh pork has about the same amount of sodium as any other fresh cut of meat.

  • Take care of how the pork is prepared. Spice it up with some of the low sodium seasonings. Also try the recipe for baked pork chops.

  • Cut back on cured and processed pork like bacon, ham, sausage, and luncheon meats. Such products are very high in sodium.

. . . . . Getting the Low-Down on Low Sodium Products . . . . .

Many food products come in "low" or "reduced sodium" versions. Among these are:

convenience foods (such as frozen dinners)

mixed dishes (such as pizza)

packaged mixes

salad dressings

vegetable juices

canned vegetables

soups (including dried soup mixes and bouillon)

condiments (such as catsup and soy sauce)

snack foods (such as chips, processed pretzels, and nuts)

crackers

baked goods

cheeses

butter and margarine

processed meats


. . . . . . Spicy Choices . . . . . .

Get out of the salt shaker rut and open your spice rack to lots of new tastes. Here are some great choices—

Basil Bay leaves Chili powder
Cinnamon Cumin Curry powder
Dill Dry mustard Fruit juices
Garlic or Garlic powder (NOT garlic SALT) Ginger Marjoram
Mint Nutmeg Onion or Onion powder (NOT onion SALT)
Oregano Paprika Parsley
Pepper (black and red) Poultry seasoning Rosemary
Sage Tarragon Thyme
No-salt spice blends


. . . . . . . Spice it Up . . . . . . .

It’s easy to make foods tasty without using salt. Try these foods with the suggested flavorings, spices, and herbs:

Meat

Beef Bay leaf, garlic, marjoram, nutmeg, onion, pepper, sage, thyme
Lamb Curry powder, garlic, rosemary, mint
Pork Garlic, onion, sage, pepper, oregano
Veal Bay leaf, curry powder, ginger, marjoram, oregano
Chicken Ginger, lemon juice, lime juice, marjoram, oregano, paprika, poultry seasoning, rosemary, sage, tarragon, thyme
Fish Curry powder, dill, dry mustard, lemon juice, lime juice, marjoram, paprika, pepper

Vegetables

Carrots Cinnamon, cloves, marjoram, nutmeg, rosemary, sage
Corn Cumin, curry powder, onion, paprika, parsley
Green Beans Dill, curry powder, lemon juice, marjoram, oregano, tarragon, thyme
Greens Onion, pepper
Peas Ginger, marjoram, onion, parsley, sage
Potatoes Dill, garlic, onion, paprika, parsley, sage
Squash
Summer
Winter

Cloves, curry powder, marjoram, nutmeg, rosemary, sage
Cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, onion
Tomatoes Basil, bay leaf, dill, garlic, marjoram, onion, oregano, parsley, pepper

Sodium in Foods (in milligrams)


Meat, Poultry, Fish, and Shellfish
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Fresh meat (including lean cuts of beef, pork, lamb and veal), poultry, finfish, cooked, 3 oz. Less than 90
Shellfish, 3 oz. 100-325
Tuna, canned, 3 oz. 300
*Sausage, 2 oz. 515
*Bologna, 2 oz. 535
*Frankfurter, 1-1/2 oz. 560
Boiled Ham, 2 oz. 750
Lean Ham, 3 oz. 1,025

Eggs
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Egg white, 1 55
*Whole Egg, 1 65
Egg substitute, ¼ cup = 1 egg 80-120

Dairy Products
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Milk
*Whole milk, 1 cup 120
Skim or 1% milk, 1 cup 125
Bulttermilk, salt added, 1 cup 260
Cheese
*Natural cheese:
*Swiss cheese, 1 oz. 75
*Cheddar cheese, 1 oz. 175
*Bleu cheese, 1 oz. 395
Low fat cheese, 1 oz. 150
*Processed cheese and cheese
spreads, 1 oz. 75
Lower sodium and fat versions, 1 oz. Read the label
*Cottage cheese, (regular), ½ cup 455
Cottage cheese, (low fat), ½ cup 460
Yogurt
*Yogurt, whole milk, plain, 8 oz. 105
Yogurt, fruit or flavored, low fat or non fat, plain, 8 oz. 120-150
Yogurt, nonfat or low fat, plain, 8 oz. 160-175

Vegetables
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Fresh or frozen vegetables, or no salt and canned (cooked without salt), ½ cup Less than 70
Vegetables, canned, no sauce, ½ cup 55-470
*Vegetables, canned or frozen with sauce, ½ cup Read the label Tomato juice, canned, ¾ cup 660

Breads, Cereals, Rice, Pasta, Dry Peas and Beans
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Breads and Crackers
Breads, 1 slice 110-175
English muffin, ½ 130
Bagel, ½ 190
Cracker, saltine type, 5 squares 195
*Baking powdered biscuit, 1 305
Cereals
Ready-to-eat
Shredded wheat, ¾ cup Less than 5
Puffed wheat and rice cereals, 1-1/2 to 1-2/3 cup Less than 5
Granola-type cereals, ½ cup 5-25
Ring and nugget cereals, 1 cup 170-310
Flaked cereals, 2/3 to 1 cup 170-360
Cooked
Cooked cereal (unsalted), ½ cup Less than 5
Instant cooked cereal, 1 packet = ¾ cup 180
Pasta and Rice
Cooked rice and pasta, (unsalted), ½ cup Less than 10
*Flavored rice mix, cooked, ½ cup 250-390
Peas and Beans
Peanut butter, unsalted, 2 tbsp. Less than 5
Peanut butter, 2 tbsp. 150
Dry beans, home cooked, (unsalted), or no salt added canned, ½ cup Less than 5
Dry beans, plain, canned, ½ cup 350-590
*Dry beans, canned with added fat or meat, ½ cup 425-630

Fruits
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Fruits (fresh, frozen, canned), ½ cup Less than 10

Fats and Oils
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Oil, 1 tbsp. 0
*Butter, unsalted, 1 tsp. 1
*Butter, salted, 1 tsp. 25
Margarine, unsalted, 1 tsp. Less than 5
Margarine, salted, 1 tsp. 50
Imitation mayonnaise, 1 tbsp. 75
*Mayonnaise, 1 tsp. 80
*Prepared salad dressings, low calorie, 2 tbsp. 50-310
*Prepared salad dressings, 2 tbsp. 210-440

Snacks
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Popcorn, Chips, and Nuts
Unsalted nuts, ¼ cup Less than 5
Salted nuts, ¼ cup 185
*Unsalted potato chips and corn chips, 1 cup Less than 5
*Salted potato chips and corn chips, 1 cup 170-285
Unsalted popcorn, 2-1/2 cups Less than 10
Salted popcorn, 2-1/2 cups 330
Candy
Jelly beans, 10 large 5
*Milk chocolate bar, 1 oz. bar 25
Frozen Desserts
*Ice cream, ½ cup 35-50
Frozen yogurt, low fat or non fat, ½ cup 40-55
Ice milk, ½ cup 55-60

Condiments
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Mustard, chili sauce, hot sauce, 1 tsp. 36-65
Catsup, steak sauce, 1 tbsp. 100-230
Salsa, tartar sauce, 1 tbsp. 85-205
Salt, 1/6 tsp. 390
Pickles, 5 slices 280-460
Soy sauce, lower sodium, 1 tbsp. 600
Soy sauce, 1 tbsp. 1,030

Convenience Foods
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

**Canned and dehydrated soups,
1 cup 600-1,300
**Lower sodium versions Read the label
***Canned and frozen main dishes,
8 oz. 500-1,570
***Lower sodium versions Read the label
*Choices are higher in saturated fat, cholesterol, or both.

**Creamy soups are higher in saturated fat and cholesterol

***Limit main dishes that have ingredients higher in saturated fat, cholesterol, or both.

Source: Adapted from Home and Garden Bulletin 253-7, U.S. Department of Agriculture, July 1993

. . . . . Take Care Beware . . . . .

Some fatty foods contain large amounts of salt. Examples include processed pork, bacon, and corned beef.

Also "fast foods" can contain both salt and fat. At the restaurant, ask that salt not be added to your meal during cooking. To cut down on how much of these foods you have, try eating smaller portions. If possible, choose foods that are baked or grilled—and hold the mayo and special sauces such as barbecue or tartar. These tips are also important for those trying to lose weight.

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