YOU Docs Daily The online edition of their daily newspaper column
The Danger Zone You Don’t Know About
On the edge. It’s an exciting place to be if you have a parachute. But about a quarter of U.S. adults are living on that precipitous spot -- without the safety of that silk-filled backpack.
They have prehypertension; that’s when blood pressure numbers are just a bit high -- 120 to 139 systolic or 80 to 89 diastolic -- but not high enough to be officially classified as hypertension. Since they’re not over the edge, many people aren’t concerned about those numbers. But research shows that even slightly elevated pressure now boosts your risk of heart trouble in the future.
The solution? Act now. Dropping your numbers down to or below the optimal 115/76 can slash your risk of cardiovascular disease as much as 25% (or more, if your initial blood pressure was higher than 139 systolic or 89 diastolic). Drive your numbers down by getting physically active. And try kicking some salt out of your diet -- you just may be responsive to too much of that mineral. Here’s how to do it:
Watch where you order. Typical restaurant meals are notoriously high in sodium. Go where you can special order low-sodium meals. Or try cutting your dining-out schedule in half (great for your wallet, too). Read labels closely when you buy premade, prepackaged, or canned foods. Words to look for on ingredients lists: sodium chloride, monosodium glutamate, baking soda (sodium bicarbonate), baking powder, disodium phosphate, sodium nitrite, sodium propionate, and sodium sulfite. If the sodium content of any serving is over 200 milligrams, forgo it. Even better: Rely on fresh foods, not packaged ones.
Diversify your spice rack. Stop relying on salt for flavor. Instead, experiment with tastes such as black pepper, lemon pepper, garlic, curry, lime or lemon juice, and red wine vinegar.
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