Salt is essential not only to life, but to good health. Most of our salt comes from food, some from water. Sodium is an element that is found in many foods as well as water. The body requires a small amount of sodium in the diet to control blood pressure and blood volume. However, most people consume many times the amount of sodium needed. A low sodium diet contains fewer than 2 grams (2,000 milligrams) of sodium each day. People with certain medical conditions such as high blood pressure, kidney disease, and heart problems can benefit from a diet that is low in sodium.With recognition of the inherent weakness of ecological studies, attempts have been made to relate sodium intake to blood pressure in epidemiological studies that identify characteristics of individuals.

Perhaps the most ambitious of these has been Intersalt Study, a cross-sectional assessment of >10 000 subjects in 52 locations around the world. In that study, it was again found that, given free access, the vast majority of people will invariably consume between 100 and 200 mmol of sodium. Overall, no association between sodium intake and blood pressure was identified by the Intersalt investigators in an analysis limited to the 48 centers consuming >100 mmol/24 hours. When the 4 centers consuming 0.2 to 50 mmol/24 hours were included, a significant association of sodium to blood pressure emerged. Moreover, after stratifying by age, in societies with greater sodium excretion, blood pressure increased more with age compared with those communities in which less sodium was consumed. Here are some basic guidelines that will help you get started:

• Control the sodium in your diet. Decrease the total amount of sodium you consume to 2,000 mg (2 g) per day.
• Learn to read food labels. Use the label information on food packages to help you to make the best low-sodium selections.
• Include high-fiber foods such as vegetables, cooked dried peas and beans (legumes), whole-grain foods, bran, cereals, pasta, rice and fresh fruit. Fiber is the indigestible part of plant food that helps move food along the digestive tract, better controls blood glucose levels, and may reduce the level of cholesterol in the blood. Foods high in fiber include natural antioxidants, which reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. The goal for everyone is to consume 25 to 35 grams of fiber per day.
• Maintain a healthy body weight. This includes losing weight if you are overweight. Limit your total daily calories, follow a low-fat diet and exercise regularly to achieve or maintain your ideal body weight.

Foods to choose — The following are examples of foods that are generally low in sodium. Check the label to determine the amount of sodium as amounts can vary from one brand to another.

• Breads — Whole grain breads, English muffins, bagels, corn and flour tortillas, most muffins
• Fruits and vegetables — Any fresh, frozen, or canned fruit, any fresh or frozen vegetables without sauce, canned vegetables without salt, low-salt tomato sauce/paste
• Dairy products — Milk, cream, sour cream, non-dairy creamer, yogurt, low-sodium cottage cheese, low sodium cheese, ricotta and mozzarella cheese
• Fats and oils — Plant oils (olive, canola, corn, peanut), unsalted butter or margarine
• Soups — Salt-free soups and low-sodium bouillon cubes, unsalted broth, homemade soup without added salt
• Desserts — Gelatin, sherbet, pudding, ice cream, salt-free baked goods, sugar, honey, jam, jelly, marmalade, syrup
• Cereals — Many cooked low salt (read the label to determine sodium content) hot cereals (not instant) such as oatmeal, cream of wheat, rice, or farina, puffed wheat, puffed rice, shredded wheat
• Crackers and snack foods — All unsalted crackers and snack foods, unsalted peanut butter, unsalted nuts or seeds, unsalted popcorn
• Pasta, rice, and potatoes — Any type of pasta (cooked in unsalted water), potatoes, white or brown rice
• Dried peas and beans — Any cooked dried beans or peas or low salt canned beans and peas
• Meats and protein — Fresh or frozen beef, poultry, and fish; low sodium canned tuna and salmon; eggs or egg substitutes
• Beverages — Coffee, tea, soft drinks, fruit flavored drinks, low salt tomato juice, any fruit juice

a. Cholesterol Myths –  both Good and Bad

A lot of folks always think cholesterol is not good, but you can actually classify it into two types. LDL and HDL are the two types – the bad one and the good one. If you have plaque build-up in your artery, that means you have too much LDL. This usually results in narrow arterial openings, which will mean a slower and lesser flow of blood. You should stop blaming dietary cholesterol for having a high level of cholesterol in your blood. Instead, you should point the finger at your high levels of both Trans fat and saturated fat. If you take in a lot of healthy, fibrous foods and exercise often, you can keep your cholesterol levels down.

b. The Meaning of Numbers in Cholesterol

Adults should see to it that they have their cholesterol checked every 5 years. Four results are given to you, which will show the levels for your LDL cholesterol, Triglycerides, total cholesterol and HDL cholesterol. Should you find your cholesterol levels over or even under the normal range, you need to diet and exercise as a result.

Total Cholesterol – less than 200 mg/dL (5.2 mmol/L)

LDL Cholesterol – less than 100 mg/dL (2.6 mmol/L)

HDL Cholesterol – greater than 40 mg/dL (1.0 mmol/L)

Triglycerides – less than 150 mg/dL (1.7 mmol/L)

c. Vitamin E and Heart Protection

Vitamin E, an important vitamin, is sourced in vegetable oils, nuts and leafy vegetables. Vitamin E can decrease your heart disease risk, but it will not prevent a heart attack.

d. Lowering Cholesterol with these Five Foods

1. Oatmeal and Oat Bran: These contain a high amount of soluble fiber, which can lower LDL.

2. Fish: Fish is a great source of omega 3 fatty acids, which lowers LDL and raises HDL.

3. Nuts: Not only are nuts high in fiber, but they contain the healthy fats you need to keep LDL in check.

4. Plant Sterols: This is found in foods like margarine, salad dressing, orange juice, and functional cookies. 2 grams per day will lower your LDL by 10-15%.

5. Soy: This popular meat replacement can lower LDL by up to 3%.

e. Health Benefits of Plant Sterols

Plant sterols can be found in foods such as Benecol Spread, granola bars, VitaTops Muffin Tops and fat free milk. To help your heart, you should eat a lot of plant sterols-packed food and stop eating foods with saturated fat. You should know that this does not balance out a diet rich in saturated fats. To be in control of your cholesterol, you should still eat healthy and exercise often.

About the Author -Deborah H. Land writes for the low cholesterol diet foods blog, her personal hobby website she uses to help people eat healthy to lower bad cholesterol levels.

Blood pressure is never steady, it constantly rises and falls in accordance with the pumping action of the heart and signals from the brain. The heart contracts and pushes the blood into the arteries resulting in rise in blood pressure. When the pressure is at its height, it is called systolic blood pressure. The heart then relaxes so that chambers in the heart fill with blood, leading to a fall in blood pressure. Blood pressure noted as the lowest is called diastolic blood pressure. A sudden and steep rise in blood pressure during exercise may be considered as an early indication of serious artery disease.

Normal Blood Pressure

Blood pressure around 120 mm Hg/80 mm Hg is considered as normal blood pressure, where 120 is the systolic blood pressure and 80 is the diastolic blood pressure. Healthy or ideal blood pressure range varies from person to person depending upon the age of the person and his/her profession or physical activities. Blood pressure falling in the range of 90/60 mm Hg to 130/80 mm Hg is considered to be normal blood pressure range.
High Blood Pressure during Exercise

Regular exercises help to lower the increased blood pressure in the long term. But, during workouts, it is commonly noticed that the blood pressure increases to 195/75, from 120/80 marked during the resting period. More rise in blood pressure will be noticed in an overweight person than in a normal weight person. Blood pressure range of 160 to 220/75 is considered as normal range of increase.

During exertion exercises like weight lifting, due to muscle constriction, there is reduced supply of oxygen. High blood pressure is noticed as the muscles and organs require extra oxygen-rich blood during exercise. Such high blood pressure associated with exertion can even cause heart attack or stroke. This situation of high blood pressure during exercise can be worsened by caffeine, stimulants like cocaine or methamphetamines and consumption of some medications. You should immediately stop exercising if you feel like fainting. Abnormally high blood pressure levels in response to exercise occur usually due to the poorer ability of the blood vessels to expand. Aging, menopause, high cholesterol levels, smoking and diabetes are some of the other common causes of high blood pressure during exercise.

Diastolic Blood Pressure during Exercise

Elevated diastolic pressure during exercise can create complications for the person. Usually, the diastolic rate varies minimally during workouts. If an increases of 20 mm Hg above resting value is noticed in the diastolic pressure or if the diastolic pressure reaches 100 mm Hg, you should immediately stop exercising. Diastolic blood pressure during exercise rises significantly in patients with hypercholesterolemia or in patients with coronary artery disease. A diastolic blood pressure range of 85 – 89 is a cause for concern, but diastolic blood pressure over 90 is considered as ‘high and risky’. A diastolic reading below 80 is ideal while reading above 90 indicates hypertension. Diastolic reading between 90 and 99 is considered stage 1, 100 or over is stage 2 and anything over 109 is considered stage 3. Due to hypertension, heart requires more energy to pump the blood to the body. This can even lead to congestive heart failure.

Exercise makes you sweat. Releasing water and salt as you sweat, reduces blood pressure. Thus, exercise only can help alleviate this problem. Both the systolic and the diastolic blood pressures should decrease over time with consistent exercise.

Only ‘regular exercising’ can help you avoid abnormal blood pressure during exercise. Exercise helps you gain muscle and muscle burns fat. More muscle implies faster metabolism which can lead to more calorie-burning. You can burn more calories throughout the day, even while you’re at rest.

Always monitor blood pressure during exercise. A rise in blood pressure during exercise may be an alarming sign to make you aware of the fact that your resting blood pressure may also increase. Take care!