All salt is not created equal! Eating a diet full of processed/ fast foods packed with tons of sodium isn't a good idea! Salting your freshly prepared whole food with a good quality mineralized salt is a perfectly healthy habit! We need the minerals that a high quality salt provides. (Our fav is Pink Salt)
What about people with high blood pressure? Studies have shown that lowering sodium has only a minimal effect on lowering blood pressure. In addition, an extremely low sodium diet has been found to increase the risk of cardiovascular complications. So lowering your salt intake to the USDA recommended amount of 1500mg may not be a healthy choice.
So what can you do? Eating more potassium rich fruits and vegetables is a healthier way to decrease blood pressure. Potassium is important in transmitting electrical impulses to the heart and has been shown to lower blood pressure. Less than 2% of adult Americans meet the recommended 4700 mg of potassium per day. Optimal amounts can reduce the risk of stroke, cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis, kidney stones and high blood pressure. Many of the high potassium foods are starchy, but these are the perfect carbohydrates to include in your diet. (Limit or eliminate the breads, pasta and cereals instead). Here is a list of high potassium foods and the amount of potassium contained in approximately 1 cup serving. Surprise! Bananas are not at the top of the list! So eliminate processed foods, add liberal amounts of healthy salt to fresh whole foods and enjoy lots of the following foods each day.
Baked potato 897 mg
Steamed spinach 839 mg
Cooked plantain 716 ( a favorite food of ours)
Avocado 708
4 dates 668 mg
Acorn squash 644 mg
Butternut squash baked 582 mg
Parsnips boiled 572 mg
Cooked pumpkin 564 mg
Sweet potato 542
Banana 537 mg
Portobello mushrooms 529 mg
Cooked tomatoes 523 mg
Cooked beets 518 mg
Cantaloupe 427 mg
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