Lower Your Stroke Risk: High Blood Pressure

By: Samantha McCarthy MS, RD/LDN

As many know, February is American Heart Month. Every February, we bring awareness to the importance of heart health. Cardiovascular disease continues to be the #1 killer in our country, and a large portion of cardiovascular disease is preventable. Every 40 seconds someone suffers from a stroke. 80% of those strokes are preventable. So how do we prevent them?

One of the leading risk factors of a stroke is high blood pressure. Sadly, many people are unaware they even have high blood pressure. The first step in preventing a stroke is to check your blood pressure regularly. If you do have high blood pressure, there are many lifestyle changes you can adopt to lower your blood pressure without medication.

First off, cut back on your sodium intake. The daily maximum is 2300 mg of sodium per day for a healthy individual, 1500 mg per day if you are at high risk. To put that into perspective, 2300 mg is the equivalent of 1 teaspoon of salt per day. Yup, 1 teaspoon. It’s not a lot of salt. Some of you may be saying, “well I don’t salt my foods.” That’s great, but that isn’t our only source of sodium in the diet. Sodium occurs naturally in many foods and is added into pretty every processed, packaged food on the shelves. Dining out is another huge source of sodium, whether it's fast food or a fancy restaurant.

To cut back on your sodium intake, follow these tips:
Start reading labels! Fortunately, sodium content is required to be on every label so check your foods to see which ones are higher in sodium. Limit those foods higher. Common high sodium foods include:

Processed meats - deli meats, sausages, hot dogs, pepperoni

Canned foods
Frozen meals
Marinades, sauces, dressings
Condiments
Cheese
Pickles and olives
Smoked and cured products
Snack Foods - chips, crackers, cookies, etc.
Breads
Nuts
Limit salt while cooking and at the dinner table.
Cut back on dining out
Cook more at home
Use more fresh herbs and spices, less salt, to flavor your foods

Decreasing your sodium intake can have a significant impact on your blood pressure, therefore lowering your risk of stroke. Take care of your heart!

*Source: American Heart Association. “Stroke Prevention.” https://www.strokeassociation.org/-/media/stroke-files/stroke-resource-center/prevention/stroke-prevention-brochure-english-ucm_463745.pdf?la=en&hash=6C26FC8A32DED0F559A38D5AC88BC809CE9B61B7