When people were asked, "Which contains less salt: bacon, ketchup or cornflakes ?", 56 per cent chose the cereal, which actually has the most salt. In the same vein, a bowl of chicken noodle or tomato soup contains more salt than an equivalent bowl of Atlantic seawater! It's no surprise then that most of us consume far more salt than is necessary or desirable.

In order to live, we need the sodium that comes from salt. It keeps our body fluids in balance, helps our cells harvest essential nutrients and ensures our nerves and muscles work smoothly. But we only need a small amount of salt to keep us healthy, about 500 mg daily – just a dash or two. Canada's Food Guide For Healthy Living recommends a maximum of 2,400 milligrams of sodium daily, which works out to about one teaspoon or six grams of salt. Most of us consume two to three times that.

When we consume too much salt this otherwise nutritious ingredient can quickly change into a nasty enemy. The sodium in salt raises blood pressure by increasing fluid retention in the body, which puts added pressure on blood vessels. One in six people in Ontario have high blood pressure, and that number goes up to one in four over the age of 45. Most at risk are people with a family history of high blood pressure, those who smoke or drink heavily, people with diabetes and those who are overweight, or inactive. Even so, you can be very fit and healthy, and still have high blood pressure. This in turn, can increase your risk for a stroke or coronary heart disease.

Because salt is so common in most products on supermarket shelves, it isn't easy to cut back. Here are some suggestions from nutritionists at St. Michael's Hospital in Toronto :

• Do not use the salt shaker at the table
• Do not use salt in cooking
• Instead of salt, use spices such as garlic powder, sage, basil, marjoram, parsley, black and red pepper, cumin, rosemary, tarragon, coriander, cloves, cinnamon, cardamom, saffron, and ginger
• Use a sprinkle of lemon juice or vinegar for flavouring on cooked vegetables
• Marinate steaks, chicken, pork chops, etc., in wine or oil-vinegar herbs to tenderize and enhance the flavour

Read the labels on food packages to check the ingredient list for added salt, brine or monosodium glutamate (MSG). If these appear between the first and fourth ingredients, avoid the product.

Remember too that reducing salt isn't the only way to help prevent or reduce high blood pressure. The best way is to live a healthy lifestyle. If you've been diagnosed with high blood pressure, medication and a healthy lifestyle can help to bring it under control, but only if you keep taking medicine as your doctor prescribes.

For more information about salt and high-blood pressure, visit HealthyOntario.

February 2004

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