Most people get much more sodium (salt) in their diet than their body needs. This causes the body to retain water, increasing the risk of high blood pressure and other cardiovascular problems.
The Cleveland Clinic suggests how to manage a lower-sodium diet:
- Cook with fresh ingredients, rather than using pre-packaged or prepared foods.
- Choose low-sodium foods, or those without added salt.
- Substitute or eliminate high-sodium ingredients from recipes.
- Create marinades for meat with a base of pineapple juice or orange juice.
- If you eat a frozen meal, look for those with 600 milligrams of sodium or less.
- Don't flavor foods with seasoning mixes that include salt.
- Talk to your doctor before using a salt substitute.
Health Tip: What's Behind Iron Deficiency
Iron is an essential mineral that's present in all cells. As a key component of hemoglobin in the blood, for example, it helps carry oxygen from the lungs to the rest of the body.
People who don't have enough iron in the blood may have fewer-than-normal red blood cells, a condition called iron deficiency anemia.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention offers these risk factors for iron deficiency:
- Being a baby or toddler, or a pregnant woman.
- Having lost a significant amount of blood.
- Eating a diet that lacks enough meat, poultry or fish that are rich in iron.
- Being vegetarian.
- Taking certain medications to manage ulcers or acid reflux.
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