Dr. Thomas J. LewisThe RIGHT salt lowers Blood Pressure Risk
Updated: Sep 10, 2019
Potassium is a salt too!
Many of us view "salt" as one thing - table salt aka sodium chloride. Our bodies need balance and harmony. Sodium is the alpha while potassium is the omega. When our body has both, we are in balance.
Our cells run on "electricity" just like a battery. A battery operates by simply creating a flow of current (electrons). Do you remember that frog leg experiment from junior high? When the frog leg is attached to electrical lead and the electricity is pulsed, the frog leg twitches. This is what happens in out body to make our muscles move or our brain "think."
The main source of battery power in our body is the movement of sodium and potassium in what is known as the "sodium - potassium pump."
Quick Facts:
Recommended Daily Allowances:
Sodium: 2.3 g/day down from 3.4 g/day because of concerns about hypertension.
Potassium: 4.7 g/day or less depending upon age and health status
https://health.gov/dietaryguidelines/dga2005/document/html/chapter8.htm
These guidelines, however, are provided in a vacuum. When you have sufficient potassium, sodium DOES NOT present a hypertension risk.
https://www.heart.org/en/health-topics/high-blood-pressure/changes-you-can-make-to-manage-high-blood-pressure/how-potassium-can-help-control-high-blood-pressure
Our team has been recommending that salt be used sensibly but liberally when potassium and sodium are combined. We have been recommending that people make up a "salt" mixture for salting food and in cooking that contains ~ 1/3 potassium and 2/3 sodium. This recommendation DOES NOT APPLY to anyone with kidney disease as measured by high BUN and BUN/creatinine ratios.
We also recommend natural sources of potassium. Bananas are NOT the best source of potassium because of the high level of low-fiber carbohydrates. The preferred food sources of potassium include:
Mushrooms
Black and white beans
avocado
kale and spinach
squash
A new study using a mixture of potassium chloride and sodium chloride substantiates our recommendations. Excerpts from the study are provided here:
Salt Substitute Shakes Up Hypertension in Community Trial
Swapping in some potassium had an important effect in Peruvian villages
Credit to: Crystal Phend, Senior Associate Editor, MedPage Today September 03, 2019