According to Ms. Trieu Ha, Tuyen Vu Hospital, China, patients with high blood pressure should proactively reduce the amount of salt in their daily meals, and at the same time limit foods high in salt.
One of the simple ways is to limit eating out and use brought-away food. Food at restaurants or delivered food is often seasoned with a lot of salt to enhance the flavor. When forced to eat out, patients should prioritize low-salt dishes, proactively request bland cooking and reduce the frequency of eating out.
Reducing salt should also be done step by step so that the taste buds have time to adapt. People can use a spoon to measure the amount of salt when cooking. One small teaspoon of salt, about 6 g of salt. When cooking, you should gradually reduce the amount of salt used, towards no more than 5 g of salt per day.
Another tip is to add salt to the dish when it is almost done. When salt mainly sticks to the surface of the food, the saltiness is felt more clearly, thereby you can use less salt while the dish still retains its rich flavor.
Instead of relying on salt to create flavor, patients can use other spices such as vinegar, lemon juice, chili, onions, ginger, garlic or tomatoes. These ingredients help make the dish more flavorful without increasing the amount of salt.
According to experts, people with high blood pressure should also limit smoked foods, pickled foods, processed foods and many types of snacks, because these are often sources of significant salt in their daily diet. When buying packaged foods, you should carefully read the nutrition label and prioritize products with low sodium content.
BS.CKII Ha Kinh Cuong, Tuyen Vu Hospital, China recommends that salt control needs to be maintained regularly, combined with a balanced diet, appropriate exercise and adherence to treatment to contribute to controlling blood pressure and reducing the risk of cardiovascular complications.
