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Writer's pictureFitSquad Rod

Na (sodium 22.990)

Updated: Sep 18, 2019




According to the Global Burden of Disease Study, "Hypertension" aka High Blood Pressure is the most common risk factor for death. It contributes to death in a plethora of ways, from heart failure, kidney failure, aneurysms, strokes, and the list goes on. We could save 1.8 million lives if people just would eat more vegetables. The number could increase to 2.5 million people saved if beans and legumes were incorporated into their diet. Additionally, 4.8 million lives could be saved if fruit was added into their daily food consumption. If i could just be lazy and sum this article up in one sentence: “Americans eat too much salt and not enough fruit.”

If we were in a science class the equation would be: 60% chloride 40% sodium. Salt (NaCl) is found in just about everything you eat and drink. Sodium isn't merely a flavor enhancer; it is a mineral imperative for health human homeostasis. Minerals create electrically charged ions, and sodium is that for our bodies and is considered an electrolyte. Majority of the body’s sodium resides in your blood and the fluid surrounding your cells. The fluid surrounding the cells is where it keeps these fluids in balance. With maintaining normal fluid balance, sodium has a prominent role in regular nerve and muscle function. The kidneys help regulate your body’s sodium levels by altering the amount that is excreted in your urine. Sweating is another form of sodium excretion. Dietary sodium deficiencies are very rare under normal conditions. Many experts believe that the link between sodium and high blood pressure was first identified in France in 1904 by Ambard and Beaujard. It wasn’t until 1948, when the connection became widely recognized. This was when the scientist, Walter Kempner, demonstrated that a low-salt, rice, and fruit diet could lower blood pressure in 500 people with elevated levels with a 70% accuracy/cure rate. Other ground breaking details include; decreased heart size, reversed inverted T waves in the EKG, and ameliorated hypertensive retinopathy. However, a rice diet did not have widespread acceptability because of insipid and unpalatable features of food contents. Since then, research has established a strong relationship between excessive sodium intake and high blood pressure.

Not every individual responds to sodium the same way. People with high blood pressure, diabetes and chronic kidney disease, as well as older adults and African Americans, tend to be more sensitive to the blood-pressure-raising effects of sodium. Sodium Chloride (salt) induces trauma to your blood vessels and arteries when chronically elevated. This increases your risk of heart disease, stroke, heart failure and kidney disease. Therefore, several health authorities have established guidelines for limiting sodium intake. These guidelines have been controversial, as not everyone may benefit from a reduced-sodium diet. In my own opinion, if we all just eat a plant based diet, all this is irrelevant!

The body can maintain its homeostasis abilities with just 186 mg of sodium about, which is about one twentieth of a teaspoon of salt. That is probably less than one nibble of a potato chip. But the AHA (American Heart Association) knew this wasn't practical, so the recommended daily allowance is 1500 mg/day. Too bad we consume an average of 3500 mg/day. Let's say, we cut back on just half a teaspoon of salt daily, we would reduce stroke deaths by 22% and sudden heart attack deaths by 16%.

The problem lies with the discovery that salt can preserve food. Nowadays, salt is widely used for food processing and manufacturing. Processed foods can account for up to 75% of total sodium consumption. I too, if in the food industry would take advantage of such methods. The meat draws in salt water and can inflate the weight by 20% and that equals 20% profit. Simple business but poor moral ethics. It is a cheaper way to maximize profit for everyone except you, the consumer. More money for the food industry, which that leads to more profit for big Pharm down the line. Lets not forget the contribution to the beverage industry! A salty snack and sugary beverage are probably more common then a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Hence why many processed food brands are under the same corportation, such as Pepsi and Frito Lay. Back to this sodium inflation... to much of your dismay you will never guess the contributor to high sodium diets...drum roll... The Gallus Domesticus, the domesticated fowl, yes, CHICKEN! Per Dr. Sebi chicken are a hybrid creature meaning they are man-made. Due to them being man made, they generally cause inflammation in the body because its naturally unnatural. Chicken carcasses are commonly injected with salt water and still be deemed “natural”. The domesticated fowl leads the way in inducing hypertension especially from ages 20-50. In adults that are over the age of 50 years old, the greatest contributor to hypertension is bread.


Facts/tips on how to slowly transition salt out of your diet:

>1 out of every 3 people add salt to their food without even tasting it, so remove salt from the table

>No salt added to your cooking. It'll take 2-3 weeks for your palate to change then you'll be scowling at salty foods.There are endless amounts of herbs and whole seasonings that can be utilized!

>Don't eat out. Restaurants are in the business of taste so salt is in everything they prepare

>Remove all processed foods especially meat such as lunch meat, hot dogs, chicken, sausage, etc.

>Sodium in milligrams should never be higher then the amount of calories in the food product (100 calories > 100mg of sodium) if the food doesn't have a label, that is ideal (fruit, veggies, plants!)


Physical Activity:

Exercise is associated with a myriad of health benefits — including lower blood pressure. A combination of aerobic and resistance training is ideal, but even walking can help bring your levels down. If you’re unable to make it to a gym, try walking for at least 30 minutes per day. If this duration is too much to achieve at once, break it into three 10-minute blocks.


Eat More Fruits and Vegetables:

Most people don’t eat enough fruits and vegetables. These foods contain important nutrients — like potassium and magnesium — that may lower blood pressure. Vegetables like lettuce, beetroot, spinach and arugula are also good sources of nitrate, which increases your production of nitric oxide. Nitric Oxide (NO) relaxes your blood vessels and arteries, causing them to dilate and increase blood flow essentially lowering your blood pressure. Beets as a pre-workout anyone!? Research shows compelling results when one consumes beets pre-workout or competition. Thanks to their high carbohydrate content and a significant hit of dietary nitrates which bolster athletic performance potential. Beets are rich in dietary nitrates including a particular type known for converting into nitric oxide inside the body. NO a key biological messenger in the body which causes your arteries or muscles to dilate. When this happens, the switch is said to relax blood vessels and encourage more productive blood flow to working muscles. A 2014 study found that beets may also be useful in increasing blood flow to fast-twitch muscle fibres, helping you get faster. Some research used recreational runners as subjects, and found slightly improved 5K time trial results and lower perceived effort, using less oxygen, extending time to exhaustion when runners drank beetroot juice before their runs. Another study shows, that men and women consuming one and a half cups of baked beets 75 minutes before running a 5k improved running performance while maintaining same heart rate, and even reported less extension, faster time with less exertion!! You would never know this because it would take significantly take away from the billion dollar supplement and pharmaceutical industry.


Eat Fewer Calories:

Sodium consumption is associated with calorie intake!! The more calories you eat, the more sodium you consume. Since most Americans consume more calories then they need each day, cutting back on calories is the easiest way to reduce your sodium intake without much thought. Eating fewer calories may promote weight loss, which usually has a correlation with lower your blood pressure as well.


Limit Alcohol:

In addition to several other health consequences, heavy alcohol intake is significantly associated with elevated blood pressure. Women and men should limit their alcohol intake to one or two drinks per day, respectively. If you exceed these recommendations, you may want to cut back.

Sodium content per alcoholic beverage:

- 12 ounces (355 ml) of regular beer

- 8–9 ounces (237–266 ml) of malt liquor

- 5 ounces (148 ml) of wine

- 1.5 ounces (44 ml) of distilled spirits


In Conclusion:

Sodium is an essential nutrient that your body needs for many important functions. Health authorities recommend between 1.5 and 2.3 grams of sodium per day. Yet, increasing evidence suggests that these guidelines may be too low. People with high blood pressure should not exceed 7 grams per day. If you are healthy, the amount of salt you’re currently consuming is likely safe. If you’re worried about your blood pressure, there are several other more effective things you can do such as: exercising, optimizing your diet, or losing weight. In closing, it is best to focus on increasing your potassium intake. This mineral is important for muscle contractions and nerve impulses. Endless evidence that a high potassium diet can help lower high blood pressure and reduce risk of stroke. Foods such as dried apricots, raisins, prunes, dates, dried figs, spinach, certain legumes, bananas, oranges, avocados, cantaloupe and for the meat eaters : halibut, trout and clams. I leave you with one more golden nugget. Hibiscus tea!

Hibiscus tea is an herbal tea that’s made by steeping parts of the hibiscus plant in boiling water. It has a tart flavor similar to that of cranberries and can be enjoyed both hot and cold. Adding hibiscus tea to your daily regimen can effectively lower blood pressure. In one study, 65 people with high blood pressure were given hibiscus tea or a placebo. After six weeks, those who drank hibiscus tea had a significant decrease in systolic blood pressure, compared to the placebo. Consuming a few strong glasses (5 bags in 2 servings) of hibiscus tea daily, has been proven to be more effective when compared to leading blood pressure medicines (Captapril). Try not to drink more than a quart a day of hibiscus tea due to the high manganese content, but continue to drink your water!



- Rod Hill III



Sources :

The Wellness Encyclopedia & The Wellness Encyclopedia of Food and Nutrition - University of California at Berkeley : Sheldon Margen, M.D., and the editors of UCal Berekeley


Ambard L, Beaujard E. Causes de l' hypertension arterielle. Arch Gen Med. 1904;1:520–533.


Hibiscus sabdariffa L. tea (tisane) lowers blood pressure in prehypertensive and mildly hypertensive adults.




Dr. Michael Greger, M.D. https://nutritionfacts.org/book/

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