High blood pressure means a long-term force of the blood against the artery walls which is high enough that it may eventually cause serious health problems. The amount of salt a person eats has a direct effect on their blood pressure. While the condition doesn’t pose any health risks in the early stages, overtime, a consistently high blood pressure reading can lead to heat and circulatory diseases like heart attack or stroke.
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Diet plays an essential role in lowering or increasing blood pressure.
Leading health experts agree that eating too much salt is extremely dangerous for anyone with high blood pressure.
Salt makes the body hold onto water and if consuming too much of it means the extra water stored in the body raises the blood pressure.
A popular winter food item could mean one is consuming far more salt that is recommended.
Blood pressure UK said on their website: “The more salt you eat, the higher your blood pressure.
“The higher your blood pressure, the greater strain on your heart, arteries, kidneys and brain.
“Also, eating too much salt may mean that blood pressure medicines don’t work as well as they could.”
According the health organisation, 80 percent of the salt you eat every day is “hidden” in the foods you eat.
Hidden salt in soups
There are several reports that many shop-bought soups contain very high levels of salt.
Some reports say soups can have as much salt as “16 bags of crisps”.
Research carried out by Consensus Action on Salt & Health (CASH) looked into salt levels in soups sold in the UK and are trying to bring a reduction in the high levels of salt in foods and to educate the public about the dangers of too much salt.
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What the research found?
CASH found that some soups contained particularly high levels of salt. For example, the ‘Very Big Soup Bold Thai Green Chicken Curry’ from Eat contained 8.07g of salt, more than the 6g recommended total daily amount for adults.
Overall, 99 percent of the surveyed products contain more salt per portion than a packet of crisps and one in four of the surveyed soups still fail to meet the 2010 Food Standard Authority.
A CASH spokesperson said: “This show huge amount of salt can be hidden in seemingly healthy choices.”
When it comes to making intelligent food choices when dealing with high blood pressure, its imperative to always check the label to see how much salt the product contains.
Eating a healthy balanced diet which includes plenty of fruit and vegetables will lower a person’s reading.
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