Hypertension or high blood pressure is also referred to as a silent killer, which contributes to more disability and death than any other diseases especially in the western world. High blood pressure places extra stress on your blood vessels walls and heart, which can cause heart attacks, kidney failure, stroke and premature deaths. Besides genetics, obesity, heavy alcohol consumption and sedentary lifestyle, even diet high in salt is one of the causes for hypertension.

Salt is one of the essential minerals required for the normal functioning of the human body. Normally the kidneys control the level of salt in the body. If the salt level is high then the kidneys pass the excess salt in urine. But when the salt intake levels are very high then the kidneys cannot keep up with the salt excretion, and therefore, the salt levels rise in the bloodstream. Salt has the property to attract water and when there is too much salt in the blood then salt draws more water into the blood, thus, raising the blood pressure

Normal blood pressure reading is systolic below 120 mm Hg and diastolic below 80 mm Hg. Hypertension is when systolic blood pressure is at or above 140 mm Hg and/or diastolic blood pressure is at or above 90 mm Hg. �Prehypertension� is a systolic pressure of 120�139 mm Hg and/or diastolic pressure of 80�89 mm Hg. This is when lifestyle changes are recommended to reduce blood pressure.

A low-fat diet can help you maintain a healthy weight which will help in keeping your blood pressure down. Similarly, a low salt diet will lessen the water retention in your body, and hence, help in keeping your blood pressure readings down.

Some practical tips for reducing dietary salt intake are�

� Eat lots of fresh fruits and vegetables as the potassium contained in these food items helps to balance the effect of salt. To help lower blood pressure, adults should eat at least five different portions of fruits and vegetables per day. One portion is equal to 80 grams, which is roughly the size of your fist.

� Avoid cooking with salt and if you must add salt then add at the end of your cooking process so that you will use less of it.

� Do not add extra salt from the salt shaker on your dining table

� Processed foods use salt as an additive or preservative. Check the labels of any processed foods you use like canned vegetables, cereals or bakery products to look for sodium content and go for low sodium brands when they are available.

� Check the labels of convenience foods (such as frozen dinners, restaurant meals, luncheon meats, fast foods, and canned soups) as many of them have high sodium content.

� Avoid condiments, pickles, ham, bacon, salsa, cheese�anything canned or processed.

� Avoid the use of soy sauce, curry powders and stock cubes while cooking.

� Avoid smoked meats and fish as they contain a lot of salt.

� Instead of salt, use herbs, spices and seasonings like chilli, ginger, lemon or lime juice to get extra flavour in your recipe.

� You should go for purchasing food items that have less than or equal to 0.25 mg salt (or 0.1g sodium) per 100g of food .

Blood pressure keeps changing based on an individual�s activity level, stress level, time of day, and the position of the body. It is also influenced by lifestyle factors such as alcohol, caffeine, food, tobacco, and salt intake. Some people are more sensitive to sodium than others. In some people too much salt will cause their blood pressures to rise while in others there may not be a large change noted. As per statistics, if salt intake was reduced by half, it will save approximately 2.5 million people a year from dying. So, if you have high blood pressure then you will always benefit from decreasing your salt intake. Consuming more of natural foods and limiting the intake of table salt will help in eliminating the excess salt from your diet. Initially, food without salt or with less amounts of salt will taste bland. But do not give up as after a few weeks your taste buds will adjust and you will enjoy your low salt recipes as well as a good health.