Simple ways to reduce your salt intake | Most People with Heart Disease Consume Too Much Sodium

May 27, 2024

ResearchTrusted Source suggests adherence to the DASH diet can lower heart disease risk factors.

“More education and decision tools are needed to help people limit sodium intake,” says Dr. Robert Salazar, MD, a cardiologist with Memorial Hermann in Houston.

While sodium is essential, consuming too much can affect the heart.

“Excess sodium intake results in high blood pressure, forcing the heart to work harder than normal to maintain adequate circulation,” Salazar says.

“Having the knowledge of how certain food ingredients and dietary patterns affect the risk for developing heart disease can help to optimize quality of life, particularly since there are hereditary risk factors that are out of one’s control,” says Lena Bakovic, MS, RDN, CNSC, a registered dietitian with Top Nutrition Coaching, who was not involved in the study. “Diet, conversely, can be controlled and is an important risk factor to consider for cardiovascular illness.”

“Despite being aware of the risks and recommendations for sodium reduction, many individuals with heart disease still consume excessively high levels of sodium,” says Michelle Routhenstein, RD, a preventive cardiology dietitian at EntirelyNourished.

Lower sodium could reduce blood pressure in most people

The federal government’s Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend no more than 2,300 milligrams per day for adults, which equals about a teaspoon of table salt. 

Cutting back can be difficult and it’s hard to know if you are over the limit. But any reduction in sodium would likely be helpful for most people, Frank Hu, Fredrick J. Stare Professor of Nutrition and Epidemiology and chair of the Department of Nutrition at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, said in a March 19 New York Times article. 

He and other experts quoted in the article suggested focusing on cooking at home instead of eating processed food or restaurant meals, which tend to be where people get most of the sodium in their diets. They also recommended eating more foods that are part of healthy dietary patterns like the Mediterranean Diet—such as vegetables, fruits, beans, and nuts—that tend to be low in sodium and are high in potassium, which helps the body remove excess sodium from the blood. 

Excess sodium’s effects on the body are cumulative, so it’s better not to wait until you have high blood pressure to start making changes, experts said in the article. Hu added, “Prevention is certainly much better than treatment.”

Simple ways to reduce your salt intake

While challenging, reducing sodium intake is possible. Experts shared the following tips that can help.

Make a game plan for the grocery store

Routhenstein suggests spending most of your time on the grocery store’s perimeter.

“Avoid aisles if possible, and choose foods in their whole — not packaged — state,” Routhenstein says. “When choosing foods from grocery store aisles and frozen food sections, there is an increased likelihood that one would be choosing food products that are much higher in sodium content and are likely abundantly processed.”

Read the labels

When browsing packaged foods, take a peek at the nutrition labels and look for signs a food may have too much sodium.

“Becoming sodium-savvy can help an individual to feel more confident in their food choices and to choose lower sodium food products,” Bakovic says. “Generally speaking, a low sodium food would be one with 5% or less of the daily value for sodium in the ‘percentage of daily value column’ of a nutrition facts label.”

“Watch for different wording for sodium,” Bakovic says. “Examples of that would be monosodium glutamate (CAS 32221-81-1), disodium guanylate (CAS 5550-12-9), disodium inosinate (CAS 4691-65-0), and Kosher salt.”

Use other seasonings

Cooking at home can help reduce sodium intake, but dietitians stressed avoiding excessive salt shaking is important.

Instead, Routhenstein recommends flavoring foods with:

Citrus juices, such as lemon or grapefruit
Chili peppers
Garlic powder
Oregano powder
Dijon, whole grain, or dry mustard
Dining out strategies
Eating out isn’t off the table, and people can take steps to reduce sodium intake at restaurants.

“When eating out, ask for sauces and dressings on the side,” Routhenstein says. “Choose grilled or steamed options over fried, and request meals to be prepared without added salt.”