Reduction of salt intake is a vital dietary and lifestyle practice that promotes a healthy cardiovascular system. The practice involves cutting down high sodium consumption to no more than the recommended 5g of salt every day. The dietary activity entails measures such as limiting salt in recipes, rinsing canned foods laced with sodium, reducing food portion size which means less sodium and adding natural spices instead of salt ( Cappuccio, 2013) . The lifestyle practice also involves choosing products with a lower sodium level and not adding salt during food preparation.
Reducing salt intake improves cardiovascular health by lowering the blood pressure. As Baldo, Rodrigues and Mill (2015) explain, cutting consumption of sodium implies reduction of amount of fluid in a person’s blood leading to lower pressure. A review of 34 studies showed that a modest salt reduction led to significant blood pressure decrease which results in improved cardiovascular health ( He & MacGregor, 2015) . A diet with low salt reduces hardening and thickening of arteries and instead helps in maintaining the normal thickness of the vessels leading to improved blood circulation to and from heart ultimately promoting cardiovascular health ( Aaron & Sanders, 2013) . The practice therefore reduces risk of conditions such as heart attack, coronary artery disease, and heart failure which are caused by high blood pressure and narrowing of blood vessels due to high salt intake.
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In my view, high sodium diets leads to an increased blood pressure against the walls of a person’s arteries. The strong pressure poses serious risk problems to one’s cardiovascular health for example heart damage, congestive heart failure, and hardening of artery walls making it difficult for blood to flow through the stiff vessels. I believe that the main source of sodium is diet hence cutting on the foods with high salt content would significantly contribute to low blood pressure and less risk of cardiovascular diseases.
Three years ago, I had developed a habit of consuming salted nuts, frozen breaded meats, smoked meat, canned entrees and beans which I came to learn had high salt content. One morning, I started experiencing chest pain, pounding on my neck, difficulty in breathing, severe headache and vision problems. Upon seeking medication, the doctor diagnosed me with high blood pressure. On interrogating me about my diet, the doctor attributed the hypertension to the intake of foods with high salt content. I however have drastically reduced consumption of the fast and canned foods which has contributed to the lowering of my blood pressure as I no longer experience the symptoms.
References
Aaron, K. J., & Sanders, P. W. (2013, September). Role of dietary salt and potassium intake in cardiovascular health and disease: a review of the evidence. In Mayo Clinic Proceedings (Vol. 88, No. 9, pp. 987-995). Elsevier.
Baldo, M. P., Rodrigues, S. L., & Mill, J. G. (2015). High salt intake as a multifaceted cardiovascular disease: new support from cellular and molecular evidence. Heart failure reviews , 20 (4), 461-474.
Cappuccio, F. P. (2013). Cardiovascular and other effects of salt consumption. Kidney international supplements , 3 (4), 312-315.
He, F. J., & MacGregor, G. A. (2015). Salt and sugar: their effects on blood pressure. Pflügers Archiv-European Journal of Physiology , 467 (3), 577-586.
