February is Heart Disease Month

Since heart disease is the leading cause of death in the US for both men and women, let's take a look at the risk factors that can make it more likely to develop this disease.

• High blood pressure (hypertension)
• High blood cholesterol
• Diabetes
• Smoking
• Being overweight
• Being physically inactive
• Having a family history of early heart disease
• Age (55 or older for women)

Although risk factors like family history and age can't be changed, you can lower your other risk factors by eating healthier, being more active, and not smoking. Knowing your blood pressure numbers is important, too, since uncontrolled high blood pressure increases your risk of stroke. And blood pressure tends to rise as we age. Optimal blood pressure is below 120/80.

Be Sodium Savvy 

Because a high salt diet can increase blood pressure, it's wise to keep an eye on the sources of salt in your diet. Ninety percent of us consume more sodium than recommended and the highest source comes from an unlikely food:  bread and bread products. In fact, bread products often have more sodium per serving than chips! 

The average daily intake of sodium is about 3300 mg. The US Dietary Guidelines suggest limiting sodium to less than 2300 mg per day. But adults over the age of 50, who are African American, or are already diagnosed with hypertension, diabetes, or chronic kidney disease should limit their daily intake to 1500 mg.

Most people are surprised to learn that less than 10% of our salt intake comes from the salt shaker. In fact, 65% comes from foods bought at retail stores and 25% comes from restaurant meals.  So just removing the salt shaker from the table isn't enough to reduce your intake.

More than 40% of our sodium intake comes from just 10 types of food (in order of consumption):

1. bread and rolls
2. cold cuts and cured meats (like deli or packaged ham and turkey)
3. pizza
4. fresh and processed poultry (these are often injected with a salt solution to "enhance" the flavor)
5. soups
6. sandwiches (including hamburgers and cheeseburgers)
7. cheese
8. pasta dishes
9. mixed meat dishes (like meat loaf with tomato sauce)
10. salty snacks (like chips, pretzels, and popcorn) 

So what can you do to reduce your sodium intake?  Here are some helpful tips: 

• Follow a DASH-type diet which emphasizes more lean protein like poultry and fish, fruits, veggies, whole grains, nuts, seeds,  beans, and nonfat or low-fat dairy and less red meat, salty foods, and high calorie and fat-laden sweets
• Read the Nutrition Facts label while shopping to find the lowest sodium options of your favorite foods (especially of the top ten food categories above)
• Purchase bread and grain products with less sodium (bread, rolls, and bagels can vary from 80-300 mg per serving)
• Serve less cured and processed meats and purchase chicken without injected salt solutions (the labels on saltwater-infused meats typically say "enhanced with up to 15% chicken broth")
• Eat a diet rich in fruits and vegetables
• Rinse canned vegetables and cook in fresh water
• Limit processed foods high in sodium
• When eating out, choose more whole foods rather than mixed casseroles and those with sauces
• Talk with your grocer and favorite restaurants about offering lower sodium food choices 
• Support initiatives that reduce sodium in packaged and canned foods