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Salt or no salt when suffering with hypertention. A healthy heart?

ickihun

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Hi
I've just seen a member indicate increasing salt can bring down my 9yr old hypertention.
I know being pregnant is a funny time for the body so 9yr ago I had to take medication for hypertention and lots of gaviscon.
After birth I was left with both needs.
Now though and another pregnancy later I know take 2 hypertention tablets. Perindopril 8mg and now Bisoprolol 2.5mg
Before bisoprolol I was having panic attacks on a very low carb lchf diet and jerky movements.
What I'm wondering do I need to add salt into my diet?
I avoid salty seasoning but dietician said I'm eating tinned fish and smoked mackerel which are full of salt.
I like stir-fried veg but prefer seasonings. I have yet to buy any chinese 5 seasons.
How much salt should a low carber have? I have 50-100g carb on insulin.
 
You can't live without salt no matter what you have. The current recommendation is up to 6gms per day and if you are low carbing then salt is a little more necessary although you say you are getting some from fish. I know nothing about what you get from fish apart from the protein.

Most of the bad press that salt received was because of a report that excess salt narrowed the arteries. I believe that to be true since I know someone full of stents. She has half a salt cellar with every meal though and I think that is what is meant by excessive.
 
ickihun said:
I avoid salty seasoning but dietician said I'm eating tinned fish and smoked mackerel which are full of salt.
Click to expand...

She's right. a lot of processed foods like cheese and bacon contain a high level of salt, I don't eat a LCHF diet (carb consumption is around 180g a day) but don't season food with salt after it is cooked, I prefer to use ground black pepper.
 
My grandmother loved her salt and used it all her life even though her doctor used to tell her it would harden her arteries but she would not give it up. She died over 50 years ago at the age of 90 would she have lived longer if she had given up salt we will never know
 
I eat bacon, cheese and smoked fish, fish in brine. Maybe I should change to tinned fish in sunflower oil or any other suggestions. Tinned fish is for emergencies (i.e awaiting payday with 2 kids).
I've reduced my protein levels lately too.
I think I'll stop bacon for a while too. Mother's gammon might have to go too. Sorry mum.
Not at hers for Sunday lunch today.
 
You could give it a try. Presumably you have a BP meter thing?
 
@ichikun are you taking the bone broth that is recommended for low carbers? Makes a HUGE difference, esp in hot weather? The best explanation I have seen as to why this is advised is in Voleck and Phinney, 'The Art and Science of Low Carb Living'. It is a great book. Wish I could encourage every newbie low carber to read it. Would save them so much grief!

Returning to your salt question: I find my body feels much easier when I add salt to food and supplement with both potassium and magnesium.

I low carbed for years before discovering this, and while the low carbing did wonders for my blood glucose, I was prone to cramps and muscle weakness and heat stroke in the summer.

Since supplementing and adding more salt, all those symptoms have gone, and I feel a lot better.

Interesting Factoid: caffeinated coffee has a FAR bigger impact on my blood pressure than salt does. And yes, I have done quite a few self-tests to make sure I am sure of my facts. But of course, I only speak for myself.
 
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Yes, my father-in-law consumed a lot of salt too. He died aged 96.
 
There has been quite a few articles in recent years stating that low salt intake is as bad as a high salt intake.
 
Totto said:
There has been quite a few articles in recent years stating that low salt intake is as bad as a high salt intake.
Click to expand...

Ironic, isn't it?
There is growing evidence that low salt and low cholesterol are harmful, yet they continue to plug it blindly, see Voleck and Phinney for salt info, and any of the recent cholesterol evidence)
Yet the NHS is happy to allow diabetics to run at blood glucose levels that are harmful and carry risks of complications - see www.bloodsugar101.com

Madness.

(there are a few, rare, health conditions that require strict salt and cholesterol monitoring. For the rest of us, there is no proven benefit for going very low, and going too low on either is harmful)
 
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It seems we have two threads running on salt.
So I'll post the same comment on both.
I think an important point that never gets said is that in reality, most posters probably now get less salt than they did when they ate junk food.
I know I do, as I don't eat salt and sugar loaded junk, so I add salt to food, and it's surprising just how little I need.
I probably stick to a teaspoon a day, (adjusted up if I'm sweating).
Which is a lot shaken out of the salt cellar

But surprisingly little compared to a couple of double cheeseburgers from McDonalds, which has about the daily allowance of a teaspoon full of salt between them. And that was just a snack between meals for me.

(But I've never had high blood pressure, oddly enough)
 
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