Be wary of hidden sodium, not just salt

MANILA, Philippines – The bad news: hypertension is the foremost cause of deaths globally, according to a report presented by Novartis Healthcare Philippines. The good news: You can do something about it, and you can start by simply cutting salt from your diet.

“Three out of 10 people around the world are hypertensive, resulting in seven million deaths every year from cardiovascular diseases,” said Doctor Abdias Aquino of St. Luke’s Medical Center.

Worldwide figures presented by Novartis indicate high blood pressure affects over 1.5 billion people, and that one out in four adults suffer from high blood pressure. The numbers are alarming, but it’s not too late for Filipinos to get lean and maintain a healthy lifestyle.

World Hypertension Day (WHD), themed “Salt and High Blood Pressure: Two Silent Killers,” was commemorated on May 17 to promote awareness and raise information on how you could keep your BP in check. It was supported by the Philippine Society of Hypertension, Philippine Heart Association, Philippine Society of Nephrology, Department of Health, and Novartis.

The observation of WHD started in 2005 and has been a continuous sustained campaign, since 70 percent of hypertension cases are not diagnosed, said Eric Van Oppens, Novartis president and CEO.

“You have to know your BP,” he said. “Don’t put off having your blood pressure taken because you wouldn’t know when it’s shooting up.”

Eating healthy

People often think that eating healthy means eating bland and boring food, but chef Rolando Laudico said you don’t have to sacrifice to have a good meal.

“The key word is moderation. Eat sensibly. You don’t have to eliminate salt from your diet. Say, you usually put two tablespoons of soy sauce in your adobo, you can cut it by half and replace it with vinegar instead,” he said in a recent press conference at Bistro Filipino in Fort Bonifacio, Taguig.

Fast-food fare and processed food top items with high sodium content. Laudico encourages everyone to go fresh and make their own food so they could control the salt that goes in it.

“People usually complain they are too busy to prepare food, but what’s a few hours in a week to go to the palengke (wet market) and buy fresh food? It will also cost less than ready-to-eat products,” he said. “It’s more convenient to buy, but in the long run, you can get more benefits from eating smart.”

Lifestyle modification

Maintaining low blood pressure calls for a lifestyle modification. And to help people jump-start this change, Novartis launched a low-salt recipe contest to provide people ideas on how they could reduce salt in their diet.

“This contest pushes people to eat right with less salt. Prevention is really the basic step,” said Christine F. Liwanag, Novartis corporate affairs and market access director.

We are allowed six grams or one teaspoon of salt spread out throughout the day, but Doctor Rosario Acosta said it’s hidden sodium, not just salt, that we should be wary of.

“[People are] more concerned about the taste than the effect of salt on their health,” she said. “It’s as simple as the apple becoming apple sauce, then apple pie with lots of add-ons. Eating the apple in the most basic form is always healthier.”

It’s best to start kids young, she added. “We have to educate the parents that it’s not the children’s fault that they like these salty stuff like fries. If they could pass on the value of eating right to their kids, the children will develop a taste for healthy food early on and will not eat too much junk food.”

Talking to your doctor about your condition helps big time as well.

“It’s important that patients diagnosed with high BP talk to their doctors. When they unload and start opening up, bumababa na agad ang BP [their blood pressure goes down instantly],” Aquino said, laughing. “Of course, you have to couple a good diet with exercise; quit smoking and drinking.”

Call the Philippine Society of Hypertension at 631-7970. E-mail www.novartis.com.ph.–Irene C. Perez, Philippine Daily Inquirer