TRY...And Try Again

Well I'm back to try it again. Hypertension management through a low-sodium diet... again.
It had been going well there for a bit and then I got lazy. To no surprise, my blood pressure is high again... hitting about 152/90. NOT GOOD STUFF!

The first time it had been much worse.  After the doc put me on a regime of assorted hypertension meds, I tried to eat a better diet. I looked for heart-healthy options at my grocer. Buying low-fat this and no-fat that, cutting back on sweets and sugary drinks, and most of all, banishing the salt shaker from my kitchen. Everywhere, I looked for the "heart smart checkmark" on the packaging.

Yet when I went to get my bloodwork results after my recent annual physical, I was told my sodium levels are 5X what they should be. "What?", I protested. "There must be some sort of mistake. I don't cook with salt. I don't season my food with salt." To which I was told that it was a good thing reducing my salt usage yet I wasn't doing anything to address my "sodium" intake. The doctor told me to read food nutrition labels.

Soon I learned that my new healthy way of eating wasn't so healthy. Packaged and canned foods have lethal concentrations of sodium. Anything "heart-smart" is now suspect. Sure, the fat is reduced; sure, the sugar is lessened; sure, the cholesterol is low; sure, there is added fiber, but the sodium level is triple of that in the regular "original" version. And it makes sense, if you're going to removed the flavour carriers like fat and sugar from a product then the only way to give it a pleasing taste is to replace the missing components by adding more sodium. I discovered I was in a deeper mess than when I began.

So now I am resolving to eat better and healthier. The only way to control my sodium intake is to begin with the chef. In this case, me! No canned foods, no commercially-prepared packaged foods, no cured or brined foods, and most of all, no "heart smart checkmark" gimmicky... only good food made from scratch using good ingredients. It is the only way to control how much sodium is in my diet to manage my hypertension effectively.

The other criteria is to begin meal planning so that I know where and how much sodium there is, and balance it with variety, so that I don't fall back into my lazy eating habits. This should make it more cost effective when shopping and reduce any food waste, as well. 

Lastly, no preaching the evils of salt. This exercise is for me and me alone, though I do hope to put a Canadian perspective on the issue of hypertension management. Hypertension, or high blood pressure, is a major risk factor for cardiovascular and renal disease; its prevalence is a major health concern. In Canada, hypertension affects almost one in five people, and is an important yet modifiable factor in disease and early death. Each person must do whatever is best for themselves. If you are concerned about your blood pressure, seek proper medical advice from a doctor or dietitian.

So here I go...