5 High Sodium Foods That Trigger Hypertension

Illustration of Foods High in Sodium (Ella Olsson / Pexels)

JAKARTA - Anything excess is not good. Apart from sugar, it turns out that high sodium or salt content can increase the risk of various diseases, such as heart attacks, kidneys, and strokes.

As a rule, adults consume at least 2000 mg of sodium a day. Meanwhile, someone with a history of high blood pressure should limit sodium intake to 1500 mg per day.

In fact, when you eat foods that are thought to be healthy, it is important to pay attention to the sodium content in these foods because some foods that appear to be healthy and clean actually have higher levels of sodium. The following include:

Wheat bread

The bread labeled as 100 percent whole grain has high fiber which can lower cholesterol and prevent heart disease. Unfortunately, many bakers add salt to their recipes, reducing the benefits of the bread itself.

In a piece of whole wheat bread contains 260-400 mg of sodium. The average person eating bread per day is 1-2 cups (2-4 slices of bread), if it's too much, the sodium level in your body will increase.

Tomato sauce

Curious why you are always thirsty after eating pizza or french fries that are so delicious? Apart from cheese which is obviously high in sodium content, another pizza and fries friend to watch out for is tomato sauce. A bottle of tomato sauce contains 400-700 mg of sodium. Pay attention to the amount of sodium on the bottle label. To be safe, you can mix tomato sauce in your own kitchen.

Cereals

A bowl of cereal with low-fat milk plus berries is the ideal diet breakfast to start the day. On the other hand, if you are not careful, this menu may increase the sodium level in your body. Many people check labels on cereal packages to see the calorie, fiber, and sugar content, but rarely see the sodium content.

With a range of about 170-280 mg per serving, this nutrient should not be neglected. Choose cereals with low sodium content. An alternative menu for breakfast that is safe from sodium is plain oatmeal.

Peanut butter

The deliciousness of peanut butter is hard to resist. The main ingredient for making peanut butter is of course the peanuts themselves. Nuts, have a high sodium content. Other ingredients added to peanut butter are sugar, palm oil, and of course lots of salt to enhance the taste.

If every two tablespoons of peanut butter contains 125 mg of sodium, you can imagine how high sodium levels in your body like to 'mix' peanut butter in your spare time.

Salad Dressing

You will never feel guilty every time you eat a salad. Obviously, green ingredients such as vegetables and fruit in it are indeed healthy. However, be aware of the dressing that is poured into your bowl. The sodium content in dressings is very high (230-550 mg per serving) and can trigger and sabotage you to eat more.