Salt and High Blood Pressure - A Must Read

If you or someone you know has high blood pressure which is also called hypertension, almost certainly salt has played an important factor in causing this serious health threat. With our civilized, highly processed diet that is high in sodium, most people get way to much salt - and high blood pressure is just one of the results. In this article I will explain the relationship between salt and high blood pressure, and suggest a natural way to lower your blood pressure.

Given that we need about 500 mgs of sodium daily, and most people get 10 times that amount, it is no wonder that one in three Americans has hypertension, and only about two-thirds of these people know it! Also, given that most people's diets largely consist of processed foods - which are high in sodium- it stands to reason that lowering the amount of processed foods alone can greatly help with lowering blood pressure. For many, since they crave salty foods, this is hard to do. The following paragraphs explain how you can lessen your craving for sodium.

Since one's intake of salt and high blood pressure are directly related, the question arises: why does something that we "need" causes such a life-threatening disease? The answer I believe is two-fold. Firstly, not only do most people get too much salt, they get the wrong kind of salt. There is organic sodium, and inorganic sodium. In short, organic sodium comes from a plant source, and inorganic sodium does not. Our bodies need the organic sodium, found in vegetables such as celery.

The second reason one's intake of salt and high blood pressure are related, is that we are sadly deficient in potassium. Potassium works with sodium to normalize or lower high blood pressure, and it is found abundantly in raw foods. You cannot take it in a vitamin - because inorganic potassium is unsafe in the RDA of 4,600 mg/day. Interestingly, potassium by itself is about 8 times "saltier" than salt, so people are probably actually craving potassium! To better understand the sources and roles of potassium and sodium, visit the website below and download the free Nutrition Chart Book.

It is my belief and experience that increasing the amount of potassium (which most people are sadly deficient in), decreases ones desire for salt. To say it again, if you get what you do need, you won't be craving salty foods, and in addition, salty foods will not have the same appeal. Since most people only get half of the RDA of potassium, it is widely advised to increase one's intake of potassium rich foods. For a recipe book using potassium rich foods and foods containing organic sodium, visit the website below.