Released September 18, 2009

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – One of the first steps in lowering your high blood pressure, reducing your risk of heart disease or diabetes is to reduce the amount of sodium in your diet.

How much sodium do you need?

It is recommended that a person who has high blood pressure or who is at risk for other complications consume 2,000 milligrams of sodium or less each day.

Regular consumption of high sodium-foods often provides more than 2,000 milligrams per day, even if no salt is added.

Foods high in sodium. Convenience foods are the biggest problem contributing to the over consumption of salt whether this be a drive-through meal, canned soup, or a frozen entree.

A quarter pound cheeseburger from a fast food restaurant contains 750 milligrams – 1500 milligrams of sodium.

One cup of oven ready lasagna contains 360 milligrams of sodium.

One fourth or 2 slices of a frozen pizza contains 740 milligrams of sodium.

Controlling your sodium intake

By choosing to prepare the foods you eat you will gain more control over how much sodium you consume.

When preparing meals, use herbs to add flavor to your favorite dish instead of adding salt.

Learn to read food labels. Every food product available has a nutrition facts label; knowing how to read these labels will help you choose better foods.

Serving size is the amount of food the nutrition label is based on indicated by the product manufacturer.

Limit these- too much fat, sodium, and cholesterol may contribute to health problems.

Percent daily values remind you about your calorie needs.

Controlling your sodium intake is the first step in lowering your blood pressure and reducing your risk for other diseases.

Video available at http://www.uaex.edu/news/september2009/0918Lower_Sodium_video_audio.htm.

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