Salt and High Blood Pressure (Cont.)

Quick Facts About Salt and High Blood Pressure

Some quick facts about salt and high blood pressure include:
 
  • Most sodium is consumed in the form of sodium chloride, which is table salt. Other forms of sodium are also found in food, so watch out for salt AND sodium.
  • Try to have less than 2,400 milligrams of sodium a day -- that's the same as 6 grams of salt a day, or about 1 teaspoon. That includes ALL sodium and salt -- what's in the product and added in cooking and at the table.
  • Processed foods account for most of the sodium and salt consumed.
  • Kosher salt and sea salt are just that -- salt. Don't forget to include them when adding up your sodium intake for the day.
  • Check food labels -- sodium is in some foods you might not expect, such as soy sauce and some antacids.
  • Reducing salt in the diet can lower blood pressure.
     

Salt and High Blood Pressure: Salt in Foods

The ranges of sodium content for foods available in the retail market may vary by several hundreds of milligrams in similar foods. This table is provided to exemplify the importance of reading food labels to determine the sodium content of food.
 
Food Group
Serving Size
Range (mg)
Breads, all types
1 oz
95-210
Frozen pizza, plain, cheese
4 oz
450-1200
Frozen vegetables, all types
½ c
2-160
Salad dressing, regular fat, all types
2 Tbsp
110-505
Salsa
2 Tbsp
150-240
Soup (tomato), reconstituted
8 oz
700-1260
Tomato juice
8 oz (~1 c)
340-1040
Potato chips
1 oz (28.4 g)
120-180
Tortilla chips
1 oz (28.4 g)
105-160
Pretzels
1 oz (28.4 g)
290-560
 
(Salt and High Blood Pressure Continued: Page 3)

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Written by/reviewed by: Arthur Schoenstadt, MD
Last reviewed by: Arthur Schoenstadt, MD