Hypertension – Common High Sodium Foods And Low Sodium Substitutes Packed With Flavor

Headaches, sweating, pounding pulse, these are a few symptoms people who are sensitive to sodium or have hypertension, tend to have.Many times people do not know why they have these problems and should consult a doctor, most times this has to do with the amount of sodium you may be ingesting. Many of our favorite foods are full of sodium. The normal amount a person should ingest in a day is approximately 2000 mg. If you are having sensitivity issues with sodium you may need to restrict your sodium count to 1500 mg.Here are a couple foods you should keep an eye out for when sodium is having a negative effect on your health.Pasta sauce, hard to believe pasta sauce is full of sodium. Most people think cheese is what they need to limit on a pasta dinner but pasta sauce can have approximately 500 mg of sodium per ½ cup. Most people eat more than ½ a cup of sauce on a single pasta meal.Pizza sauce is very similar to pasta sauce, the amount of sauce used is not as high as pasta sauce but it can add a substantial amount of sodium to any diet. Add the sodium in the sauce, cheese, dough, toppings and two slices of pizza can easily put you over your sodium limit.These are two significant foods that most people enjoy eating and are not about to give up. If you are part of a family then most definitely you will not deny the other family members these foods.The best way to still enjoy these foods is to create a simple substitute which is packed with flavor but has none of the sodium. Mini blenders are perfect for creating a substitute sauce. Simply rough cut tomatoes and put them in your mini blender, add garlic cloves, oregano, basil, and enough olive oil to blend all the ingredients until smooth.The end result is you will have a very nice pink tomato sauce that can be used on pasta or pizza. The sodium count for your sauce will be so low that you will not have to worry. This basic sauce can be changed to accommodate your own flavors. Tomato sauce can be acidic depending on the tomato you picked. One way to counter the acid is to add something sweet. Brown sugar has zero sodium and very little will remove the acid taste. Cooking the sauce with shredded carrots or bell peppers will also sweeten the sauce without adding significant sodium.Next time you are having pasta or pizza trying making your own sauce to reduce the sodium so you can enjoy eating without side effects.