掌控高血压：老年人的明智营养小贴士

心脏病是美国人的头号死因，而高血压是心脏病的首要病因。对于血压患者来说，控制血压是降低患心脏病风险的重要一步。饮食对血压水平起着重要作用。控制血压往往从一个意想不到的地方开始：杂货店。让我们来详细了解一下营养是如何发挥关键作用的。

针对高血压的杂货店购物

在杂货店购物时，您还可以查看标签上是否标有 "低钠 "或 "减钠 "字样。 根据法律规定，这些声明必须真实，并遵循一定的声称标准。如果食品上写着 "低钠"，则每份食品的钠含量必须为 140 毫克或更少。如果标签上写着 "降钠"，则至少要从原产品中去除 25%。

了解标签术语

最大的高钠食品是熟肉、熏肉、香肠等加工食品，以及罐装蔬菜或冷冻餐。超市里到处都是标有减钠或低钠的食品。但不要以为这就意味着它们钠含量低。它只是表示这些产品的钠含量低于普通版本。

以下是美国常见的钠声明的真正含义：

• 无钠或无盐。每份产品的钠含量低于 5 毫克。
• 极低钠。每份产品的钠含量不超过 35 毫克。
• 低钠。每份含 140 毫克或更少的钠。
• 钠含量降低或更低。产品中的钠含量比普通版本至少少 25%。
• 清淡或低钠。钠含量比普通食品至少减少 50%。但一些贴有这些标签的食品钠含量可能仍然较高。
• 无盐或不加盐。通常含盐的食品在加工过程中不加盐。但一些贴有这些标签的食品可能不含钠。这是因为部分配料仍可能含有钠。

另一个需要注意的标签是美国心脏协会的心脏标记。这可以在杂货店的心脏健康食品上找到。这表明食品符合钠、维生素 A、维生素 C、铁、钙、蛋白质或膳食纤维等有益营养素的特定要求，并且饱和脂肪或反式脂肪含量有限。例如，在一盒 Cheerios（奇乐果）上就能找到这种复选标记，因为每份食品的纤维含量都很高。

When choosing foods to reduce sodium, fresh is best. But that does not mean frozen, boxed, or canned is completely off limits. Frozen vegetables, fruit, and meats are still low in sodium unless they come with a sauce or gravy or as a prepared meal, like a frozen dinner; canned vegetables can still be enjoyed. These can be low sodium or reduced sodium. But if those options are not available, rinsing the vegetables and heating them in plain water will help reduce the sodium.

Using low sodium broths, stocks, and gravies can also reduce the sodium content of a meal. When it comes to snack foods, look for items like “lightly salted” or “unsalted” with nuts, crackers, or chips. You can pair it with fresh fruit or low sodium dip for a well-balanced snack.

Lowering your blood pressure with DASH and Mediterranean Diet

A couple of diets that have been created to help lower sodium intake to improve blood pressure. The first is called the DASH diet (dietary approaches to stop hypertension). This diet not only focuses on reducing sodium but also increasing nutrients that are also heart-protective, like potassium, calcium, magnesium, fiber, and protein. This diet was named the “Best Diet for High Blood Pressure” in 2025 by the US News and World Report. The DASH diet focuses more on whole foods like fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and lean proteins. It provides guidelines for how often certain foods should be eaten per day or week, such as:

• Four to five servings of fruit per day (1/2 cup per serving)
• Four to five servings of vegetables per day (1/2 cup per serving)
• Six to eight servings of whole grains per day (1/2 cup grains, 1/3 cup rice or pasta, or one slice of bread per serving)
• Two or three servings of low-fat/fat-free dairy per day (1 cup milk or yogurt per serving)
• Six or fewer ounces per day of meat, chicken, or fish
• Two or three servings per day of heart-healthy fats and oils (1 teaspoon per serving)

Another popular diet is the Mediterranean Diet. This is named the best diet of 2025 by the US News and World Report. This diet also focuses on whole foods

• Vegetables (3-4 servings per day)
• Fruits (2-3 servings per day)
• Whole grains (at least three servings per day)
• Fish (2-3 servings per week)
• Poultry and eggs (less than three servings per week)
• Beans, legumes (at least three servings per week)

The Mediterranean diet limits processed or high-fat meats, refined grains, sweets, and dairy. While these diets are similar, there are differences that may sway one to prefer one diet over the next.

Tips on making diet changes stick

Small changes work best when making changes to your overall diet. If you are someone who relies heavily on prepackaged or convenience meals, it may take time to adjust to a lower sodium meal pattern. There are ways to make changes slowly, which will give your taste buds time to adjust to these changes.

1. Hide your saltshaker- or salt at the end of cooking if needed. You may not need as much seasoning as you think.
2. Experiment with seasonings- garlic powder, onion powder, ginger, hot sauce, or vinegar can add a lot of flavor to your dish.
3. Start swapping out for reduced sodium options. If you find a low sodium stock to be bland, you can liven it up with some of those seasonings! You can find low sodium varieties of deli meat, chips, soups, etc.
4. Eat at home more often. You have control over seasonings at home, but you are at the mercy of the one preparing your food at a restaurant.

Once your taste buds adjust to a lower sodium diet, these changes will be much easier to stick to. When going to restaurants, look for meals with less processed foods (think sausage, bacon, ham). Substitute French fries for a vegetable or side salad, choose baked or grilled proteins over fried or battered, and avoid gravies when you can. If you are eating at a friend’s or family member’s house, let them know about your dietary preferences, or focus more on vegetables and have smaller portions of higher sodium foods. If you attend a potluck type of party, bring something like a vegetable tray or a lower sodium recipe so that there will be something that will fit into a low sodium meal.

Regularly monitoring your blood pressure at home and during checkups is the best way to track changes and understand their effects on your health. If needed, discuss additional support with your healthcare provider.

The article provides information designed to complement your personal health management. It does not provide medical advice and not meant to replace professional medical advice. Linking to other websites does not imply any endorsement of the material on such websites.