Table of contents:
- 1. Instant cereal
- 2. Packaged fruit-flavored drinks or packaged juices
- 3. Canned vegetables or fruit
- 4. Instant cooking spices
- 5. Dairy products
- 6. Seafood
- 7. Instant noodles
According to WHO, hypertension causes approximately 9.4 million people to die per year. Overall, the incidence of hypertension continues to increase from year to year. Hypertension can lead to complications such as coronary heart disease and stroke. The main factor of hypertension is excessive sodium consumption. One teaspoon of salt alone contains about 2300 milligrams of sodium. Not to mention that you consume packaged foods or drinks that on average have high sodium levels. If you often eat packaged foods, it will increase your risk of developing high blood pressure. Then, what foods have high sodium?
1. Instant cereal
Cereals are foods that have been processed before and need additional sodium to preserve them. At least one glass of cereal contains more than 200 mg of sodium. Other breakfast menus that also contain high sodium are biscuits and pancakes, which can reach 800 mg of sodium.
2. Packaged fruit-flavored drinks or packaged juices
Even though it looks healthy if you consume juice every day, what happens if what you drink is bottled juice that has gone through various manufacturing processes? Of course the juice contains various additives to maintain taste and quality, one of which is sodium. The average packaged juice contains 700 mg of sodium per 200 ml (depending on brand). In fact, the sodium in the original fruit is not that big, for example, just one fresh tomato contains 11 mg of sodium. Therefore, it is also important to read the nutritional value before you consume food / drinks.
3. Canned vegetables or fruit
One can of vegetables or fruit can turn out to contain at least 1300 mg of sodium. In fact, the sodium in a fresh carrot only reaches 45 mg. Therefore, if you are forced to eat vegetables that have been canned, it is better to wash them before cooking. With washing, the sodium content can be reduced slightly. But still try to eat fresh vegetables and fruit.
4. Instant cooking spices
Do you often use soy sauce or sauces in your cooking? Or even become one of the obligatory friends when eating? Especially now that there are many finished seasoning products on the market, such as fried rice spices, opor spices, rendang spices, and so on. It is very easy for consumers when they want to cook, but they do not have enough time to prepare the seasonings. However, do you know how much sodium is contained in these products? In fact, the sodium content in these packaged spices is very high. For example, sauce contains 150 mg of sodium per tablespoon while the sodium in soy sauce is very high, up to 1000 mg per tablespoon.
5. Dairy products
Milk and its various products are a good source of calcium and vitamin D for the body. However, if you do not choose products carefully and carefully, it is not impossible that you are at risk of developing high blood pressure. Similar to other packaged foods and drinks that have gone through many processes beforehand, packaged milk and dairy products also require sodium in the process. For example, cheese and buttermilk which have a high sodium content.
6. Seafood
Seafood or seafood are foods that are good for heart health - if cooked in a healthy way, seafood can help lower cholesterol and high blood pressure. Even so, you must still be careful in choosing the product seafood, instead of wanting to be healthy, you have high blood pressure because you choose seafood which contains high sodium. Example seafood those high in sodium are canned fish such as canned sardines and canned tuna, clams, and shrimp. Shrimp has 200 mg of sodium per four prawns, while canned tuna contains 300 mg of sodium in 85 grams. Instead, you can eat fish or seafood fresh and low sodium, such as fresh tuna, salmon, snapper, and so on.
7. Instant noodles
Be careful with high blood pressure if you often eat instant noodles, because one pack of instant noodles contains at least 1500 mg to 2300 mg of sodium. In fact, the sodium recommended by the WHO in one day is 2000 mg. If you have eaten instant noodles once a day, it has exceeded the sodium 'ration' tolerated by the body.
Remember to read the nutritional value often and see the content of the food or drink you are consuming. Avoid packaged foods or drinks that have more than 140 grams of sodium in one package or one serving. This of course will reduce the risk of developing high blood pressure and other heart diseases.
