Premise
The following indications are for informational purposes EXCLUSIVELY and are not intended to replace the opinion of professionals such as a doctor, nutritionist or dietician, whose intervention is necessary for the prescription and composition of PERSONALIZED food therapies.
Sodium and hypertension
Excess sodium is the most important nutritional factor involved in the increase in blood pressure and in the onset of hypertension in predisposed individuals.
In addition to representing a pathology in its own right, hypertension is a risk factor for the diagnosis of metabolic syndrome, a pathological complex that dramatically increases the risk of ischemic heart disease and / or cerebral vascular syndrome.
NB. The association of type 2 diabetes mellitus and arterial hypertension significantly increases its harmfulness to the body.
Low sodium diet
The low-sodium diet is a food therapy characterized by a low sodium intake, aimed at reducing blood pressure in subjects characterized by arterial hypertension.
Originally, the low-sodium diet had as its main feature the limitation of foods containing added sodium or cooking salt and the abolition of the so-called "discretionary" salt (the one added at home level).Today, the low-sodium diet is a much more complex eating pattern; first of all, the low-sodium diet is often also a low-calorie diet, this is due to the fact that many cases of hypertension recognize a "multiple etiology, among which the excessive accumulation of adipose tissue (overweight and obesity) with an increase in the" Mass Index stands out. Body (> BMI or BMI, often in the abdominal area).
Furthermore, the low-sodium diet can be corrected on the basis of other existing pathologies, in order to make it effective also in restoring the other compromised metabolic parameters; in many cases, the low-sodium diet thus evolves into an anti-metabolic syndrome diet.
The most useful and frequent measures to be used in the composition of an "anti-metabolic syndrome" low-sodium diet are:
- Elimination of discretionary salt and all foods containing added sodium
- Right energy intake based on body composition
- Moderation of load and glycemic index, to reduce blood sugar and triglyceridemia
- Moderation of dietary cholesterol and reduction of LDL circulating in the blood
- Increase of unsaturated fatty acids belonging to the ω3 family and (if necessary) also of ‰ ω6 and ω ‰ 9, to the detriment of saturated and / or hydrogenated fatty acids; the effect can be translated into a reduction in blood pressure and triglycerides, with a lowering of total and / or LDL cholesterol, and sometimes an increase in HDL
- Increase in water, dietary fiber, phenolic substances, vegetable lecithins, phytosterols, antioxidant vitamins and antioxidant or otherwise useful mineral salts (potassium, magnesium and calcium) to: reduce the absorption of cholesterol and improve its metabolism, reduce total oxidative stress and improve the sodium / potassium balance for the benefit of blood pressure
- Moderation / elimination of nerves such as: caffeine, theine, other stimulants present in energy drinks, ethyl alcohol, etc.
Furthermore, it is advisable to combine the low-sodium diet with: abolition of smoking, reduction of excessively stressful situations and start-up of an open-ended protocol of aerobic and anaerobic motor physical activity.
In summary, the low-sodium diet is aimed not only at moderating blood pressure but also at reducing overall cardiovascular risk, especially in the presence of other risk factors for ischemic heart disease and cerebral vascular syndrome (facilitated by atherosclerosis and hypertension or by hereditary factors such as aneurysms). NB. The low-sodium diet may also require the right precautions for the prevention of hyperuricemia or gouty attacks in predisposed subjects, but it is a rather peculiar and specific therapy.
In practice, the low-sodium diet aimed at compensating for hypertension and other predisposing metabolic parameters (overweight, hypercholesterolemia, hyperglycemia or diabetes, hypertriglyceridemia, high oxidative stress, etc.) is structured as follows:
- Elimination of cooking salt and preserved foods (cured meats, aged cheeses, cans, etc.); only refrigerated and frozen foods are allowed
- Reduction of at least 1/3 of all portions except vegetables
- Portion reduction of: starchy or highly carbohydrate foods such as pasta, bread and potatoes, preserved fruit such as jams, fruit in syrup, dehydrated fruit, etc., and high-calorie fruit such as ripe bananas, persimmons, figs, grapes, mandarins, etc. . NB: It is better to REPLACE refined starchy foods with WHOLE ones
- Abolition of fatty meats, mature cheeses and egg yolks, drastic reduction of meats, cheeses and eggs in general in favor of fishery products and in particular of blue fish (fresh tuna, alletterato, amberjack, bonito, greenhouse , leccia, mahi mahi, mackerel, lanzardo, anchovy, sardine, herring, garfish, boga, etc.)
- Replacement of any seasoning or saturated or hydrogenated fat with vegetable oils; use of extra virgin olive oil for cooking and (if desired) of oils rich in ω- ‰ 3 for raw dressing (soybean, kiwi, grape seed, walnut, flax etc.). NB: the use of dried fruit provides essential fatty acids BUT it must be balanced with respect to the total fat intake; for every 10g of dried fruit it is necessary to eliminate 5g of oil
- Significant increase in portions of fresh and cooked vegetables; if absent, integration of fresh fruit with peel
- Abolition of energy drinks and spirits; drastic moderation of coffee, tea and red wine at main meals
- If possible, use low-sodium water.
Useful supplements in the low-sodium diet
The supplements useful to the low-sodium diet to decrease blood pressure are:
- Potassium: which has an opposite effect to that of sodium
- Polyunsaturated fatty acids of the ω-3 family, possibly EPA and DHA (biologically more active), which have the effect of reducing blood pressure, the state of systemic inflammation and hyperlipidemia
- Arginine amino acid
- Diuretic and / or hypotensive plants, extracts and plant derivatives.
It may be necessary to associate some generic food supplements to the low-sodium and low-calorie diet; this is justified by the fact that in the most restrictive regimes, the relative food portions are often not sufficient to reach the recommended rations for mineral salts and / or vitamins.
Diet against hypertension: Example
- Post office worker, hypertensive, does not practice motor physical activity, she gave up smoking but by doing this she gained a lot of weight. He likes aperitifs and does not have breakfast. Autumn-winter season.
Low Sodium Diet Example - Day 1
In BLUE: the perfect achievement of some desirable recommended rations of the most IMPORTANT nutritional components for the Hypoosodic, Hypocaloric and PREVENTIVE diet against metabolic diseases (weighted to the specific case).
In YELLOW: the total fiber intake which, optimally, should be around 30g / day; obviously, since it is the translation of a single day, it is not possible to show the weekly average which would also include legumes and other vegetables ( richer in fiber than the foods present in the example).
In RED: the intake of TOTAL simple carbohydrates which, according to the recommendations, should be less than the value obtained by 2-10%. However, considering the nature of the carbohydrates in place (exclusively intrinsic and not added fructose and lactose), it is It is possible to state that the glycemic index (GI) and the glycemic load (CG) of individual foods and meals are more than suitable. After all, consider that fructose (which represents most of the simple carbohydrates mentioned above) has the lowest GI of the available carbohydrates. The same amount of simple sugars contextualized in a low-sodium but NORMAL-calorie diet would have resulted in a lower ratio "fitness for dietary recommendations; therefore, it is a purely proportional issue.
Below we will report the rest of the low-sodium and low-calorie weekly example for the subject examined.
Low Sodium Diet Example - Day 2
Low Sodium Diet Example - Day 3
Low Sodium Diet Example - Day 4
Low Sodium Diet Example - Day 5
Low Sodium Diet Example - Day 6
Low Sodium Diet Example - Day 7
