Salt is something we all need in our diet but the intake of too much salt is dangerous to our health.
Salt can raise your blood pressure and people with high blood pressure are three times more likely to develop heart disease or suffer from a stroke than a person with a low intake of salt.
The problem with blood pressure is that most people don’t even realize they have it. Because of this it can be called the silent killer, even if you feel fit and healthy it is always worth going for a blood pressure check at least once or twice a year, it is a simple procedure that takes no more than three or four minutes.
You can develop high blood pressure at any age, a third of people in the United Kingdom have high blood pressure. Another name for it is hypertension.
If you eat too much salt it can cause blood pressure which can also lead to kidney failure and eye damage, eating less salt can lower the blood pressure and reduce the risk.
It can be caused by a number of different things, one is eating too much salt, two is being overweight, for your own well being weight loss is desirable if you are over weight.
Not being physically active is another, if you drive your car everywhere and have an office job then it is important to exercise in some way.
Alcohol is also a cause if you drink too much.
It is known that if one or both of your parents have or had high blood pressure it is more than likely that you will also develop it.
Many people automatically sprinkle salt on their meals before even tasting the food, this is a habit you should stop or reduce, also try reducing the amount of salt added to foods when cooking.
Many foods you buy already contain salt, foods such as ready meals, sauces, baked beans, pizzas and processed foods, bread and cheese products also contain salt.
An excellent way to cut down on salt when cooking vegetables is to use a steamer, just put a small amount in your potatoes at the base of the pan then the veggies above salt free. You will find no noticeable difference with the taste of the vegetables.
If you make a habit of checking labels on the foods you buy you can reduce your salt intake even more.
