High blood pressure is
the most common risk factor
right now in this country.
Fully 90% of us will
develop high blood pressure
before we die.
So it's something that unfortunately,
because of our behaviors and
the environment we live in,
most of us are gonna get.
The central problem for most of us is
that we eat just too much salt.
Salt of course is made
up of sodium and chloride
but sodium is the problem here.
And the average American
eats about 3400 milligrams
of sodium a day.
As opposed to the recommended amount
which is less than 1500 milligrams a day.
You need to be aware of where
salt is hiding in your diet.
And it comes in a couple of simple places.
First, bread is the major source of sodium
for Americans in their diets today.
So we should limit our bread intake.
And by doing so we'll
also limit the amount
of starches we take.
Sauces and soups have a lot of sodium.
So you need to know to avoid those things.
If you're making a salad dressing,
just make your own oil and vinegar.
The other places that salt
can hide is in processed meats
like ham and corned beef.
You can taste it there so it shouldn't be
too much of a surprise.
And finally, how we prepare our
food makes a big difference.
If you're cooking yourself,
don't add salt to the food
because natural amounts are plenty
and will provide anything that you need.
If you're eating out though,
that's a major red flag
that you're gonna get some
extra sodium in your diet.
And unfortunately, things like pizza
and most of the fast foods that we eat out
do have very high levels of sodium.
So try to choose healthier
alternatives again like salads,
and make your own
dressing to put on those.