Low Sodium Diet.
Do You Have to Toss the Salt?

If salt causes your body to retain too much water, the Low Sodium Diet may be the normal blood pressure diet for you. Let's see.

Are you on a diuretic blood pressure drug, and it works?

Then, this is your diet for high blood pressure as you are most likely salt sensitive.

Toss the salt.

The Low Sodium Diet is called also the No Salt Diet or the Salt Free Diet as salt is the main culprit. Salt is sodium chloride.

Because salt is a common ingredient in canned and other processed foods, you will need to avoid them and prepare your meals from scratch with fresh vegetables, meats, poultry and fish.

Some grocery and health food stores feature Low Sodium Diet selections, so by reading the labels, you can find some okay processed foods.

When you go out to eat avoid salty sauces and MSG.

You have a better chance of having a normal blood pressure with this high blood pressure diet if you choose more fresh foods, eat less processed foods, and substitute herbs and spices for flavoring in place of salt.

Lowering blood pressure naturally is the goal, but don't overdo it. First, check out Your Diet Plan for achieving a normal blood pressure.

Here are some specific recommendations (See Foods for additional data).

The Basic Diet

1) Meats and meat substitutes: fresh or frozen unbreaded meats, low sodium or natural peanut butter, unsalted nuts, dried beans, peas and pods.

2) Dairy foods: milk, yogurt, ice cream, low sodium cheeses like Mozzarella, Parmesan or Swiss.

3) Vegetables: fresh or frozen veggies, canned veggies with no added salt, low sodium vegetable juices.

4) Fruits: all fruits and fruit juices.

5) Starches: English muffins, bagels, plain pasta, noodles, rice, cooked hot cereals, unsalted or low sodium snack foods.

6) Fats: vegetable oils, soft unsalted margarine, low sodium salad dressings. Unsalted butter would be okay.

7) Seasonings: herbs, spices, low sodium condiments.

Now that I've given you the details, I'll confess that you can use any diet as long as it doesn't contain much sodium. For instance, use the following ones, but without salt: Dash Diet, Vegetarian Diet, Mediterranean Diet, Blood Type Diet, Life Change Diet.,

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