Lower High Blood Pressure: Understand Fat and Sodium on Food Labels
Posted: Thursday, November 11, 2010
by Lisa Nelson
Be Heart Healthy and Lose Weight
How to understand what food labels are telling you when it comes to fat and sodium. This is a quick and easy option you can use for lowering blood pressure levels.
1. Select foods with less SODIUM than the following amounts per serving:
Frozen or packaged dinners 500 mg
Microwave Popcorn 350 mg
Desserts & Cookies 250 mg
Chips, Pretzels 200 mg
Bread, Crackers, Rolls 140 mg
2. Select foods with less FAT than the following amounts per serving:
Frozen dinners 10 g
Cheese 5 g
Microwave Popcorn 5 g
Lunch Meat 3 g
Soup 3 g
Snacks 3 g
Bread, Crackers, Rolls 3 g
Frozen yogurt or Sherbet 2 g
Don't forget to look at the serving size when reading food labels and how many servings there are per container. Usually a serving size does not equal one can, bottle, or box. If a can contains 3 servings and you eat 1 can, you need to multiply the sodium or fat per serving times 3. For example, I have a can of chicken noodle soup with 920 mg of sodium per serving and 6 servings per can. If I eat the entire can, I consume 5520 mg of sodium (920 x 6).
Reducing the amount of salt in your diet is a very effective strategy for lowering blood pressure. Salt is frequently added to foods during processing, which is why reading and understanding food labels can be such a useful tool as you move towards lower blood pressure levels. How to understand what food labels are telling you when it comes to fat and sodium. This is a quick and easy option you can use for lowering blood pressure levels.
1. Select foods with less SODIUM than the following amounts per serving:
Frozen or packaged dinners 500 mg
Microwave Popcorn 350 mg
Desserts & Cookies 250 mg
Cheese 200 mg
Chips, Pretzels 200 mg
Bread, Crackers, Rolls 140 mg
2. Select foods with less FAT than the following amounts per serving:
Frozen dinners 10 g
Cheese 5 g
Microwave Popcorn 5 g
Lunch Meat 3 g
Soup 3 g
Snacks 3 g
Bread, Crackers, Rolls 3 g
Frozen yogurt or Sherbet 2 g
Don't forget to look at the serving size when reading food labels and how many servings there are per container. Usually a serving size does not equal one can, bottle, or box. If a can contains 3 servings and you eat 1 can, you need to multiply the sodium or fat per serving times 3. For example, I have a can of chicken noodle soup with 920 mg of sodium per serving and 6 servings per can. If I eat the entire can, I consume 5520 mg of sodium (920 x 6).
Reducing the amount of salt in your diet is a very effective strategy for lowering blood pressure. Salt is frequently added to foods during processing, which is why reading and understanding food labels can be such a useful tool as you move towards lower blood pressure levels.
Be sure to sign up for the free e-course 7 Natural Ways to Lower Blood Pressure at http://www.lowerbloodpressurewithlisa.com today! Lisa Nelson RD, founder and owner of Heart Health Made Easy and Health Expert for The Health Central Network, is dedicated to guiding clients to heart health through practical diet and lifestyle changes.
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