Medical Myths - The Answer

2: Cutting salt intake can help your high blood pressure.

___ True ____ False _____ Pass the pretzels

ANSWER: True. Americans are not in love with the idea of a tossing the salty snacks and tend to ignore this advice. But in 1998, at the 13th International Interdisciplinary Conference on Hypertension in Blacks, researchers said that in blacks with high blood pressure who get higher amounts of salt in their diets, even a small decrease in salt can help regulate blood pressure. Blacks are particularly prone to hypertension, but the advice goes for everyone. Tossing the salt shaker is not the whole answer. That's because most of the salt we eat comes from processed foods -- such as deli meats and canned foods. The best advice is to change your taste for salt. Don't automatically salt before tasting. Use herbal seasonings and condiments to flavor your foods. Pretty soon, things will begin to taste too salty and you'll be on the right track.