There are some habits that are so second nature that we do them without even thinking about them. For some people, it’s walking directly into their coffee maker as soon as they wake up to pour a cup of coffee. For someone else, it might be turning off all the lights before leaving the house.
There’s one habit in particular that many do at mealtime without even thinking about it, and it’s one that could literally take years off your life. life: reaching for the salt shaker. According to a study published in the european journal of the heart, people who consistently add more salt to their food have a 28% higher risk of premature death than those who rarely add salt to their food. In addition, the researchers found that by age 50, consistently adding salt to meals can cut two years off life for men and one year for women.
Why can salt have this effect and how can you cut back without being left with bland foods? Here’s what cardiologists want you to know.
Related: Your Guide to Living Well to Maintain Heart Health and Prevent Heart Disease
How salt can negatively affect the heart
Dr. Sean Heffron, M.D., a preventive cardiologist at NYU Langone Health, explains that the main reason excess salt is bad for heart health is that it can raise blood pressure. “High blood pressure has many chronic impacts on cardiovascular health,” he says. Dr. Heffron explains that consuming a lot of salt leads to excess sodium in the blood. This has an impact on the tension of the muscles around the blood vessels, which raises the blood pressure.
“Simply put, this all goes back to what our high school chemistry teachers taught us about osmosis,” says Dr. Jennifer Chao, MD, cardiologist at NYU Langone Health. “Salt is sodium that attracts water by osmosis. Water will follow salt, so the more salt there is, the more able your body is to retain water, which will lead to higher blood pressure.”
Dr. Chao explains that higher blood pressure means the heart is working harder to pump blood from the heart to critical organs. “Over time, if your heart keeps working too hard, it can get tired and weak, leading to heart failure,” she says. In addition to raising blood pressure, Dr. Chao says that excess salt it is also related to causing inflammationwhich can increase the risk of many health conditions, such as stroke or cancer.
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But how much is too much? According to the American Heart Association, people should limit their sodium intake to 2,300 milligrams a day, which is one teaspoon. In other words, not much! If you’re used to adding salt to everything you eat, you may think that limiting it to a teaspoon a day means living a life of tasteless food. But both doctors promise that this is not the case.
How to reduce salt intake without compromising taste
Dr. Heffron says the first step to consuming too much salt is identifying where it’s coming from in your diet. Do you eat out frequently, or do you tend to eat a lot of overly processed foods, such as microwaveable meals? Do you use a lot of seasonings or sauces? Often, he says, these foods are prepared with a lot of salt. Dr. Chao agrees. “It’s amazing to read nutrition labels on frozen foods and realize there’s 50% of your daily value in just one serving, and often there are two or more servings in each package, so you’re getting more than you bargain for. need daily. sodium in a single meal,” she says.
If you primarily prepare your own meals at home, pay attention to how much salt you add when cooking. At mealtime, instead of automatically reaching for the salt shaker, taste your food first. Perhaps it already tastes great without adding anything!
Both doctors also recommend seasoning foods with other herbs, such as garlic or dried onion powder. They say that unlike salt, many herbs are actually beneficial for heart health and are linked to lowering blood pressure. The American Heart Association recommends experimenting with basil, curry powder, cumin, rosemary, paprika and thyme, all of which are beneficial to health and bursting with flavour.
Even if you don’t have a family history of high blood pressure or other cardiovascular problems, Dr. Heffron says it’s still a good idea to watch your salt intake. “High blood pressure is one of the most common health problems affecting people in their 70s and 80s. The habits we develop when we’re younger stick with us, so the sooner you start developing healthy habits, the better off you’ll be,” he says. If you want to age healthy, this is advice you should take to heart!
Next, check out the seven lifestyle habits that can keep your heart healthy.
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