Does anyone keep their sodium level at 1500 for hypertension?

If so I would love to know how you do it. I'm finding this almost impossible. Wouldn't you basically have to eat nothing but chicken, fish, raw veggies and fruit?

I like a wide variety in my meals and i'm finding this very hard to keep it low in sodium. I'm at 2,000 mg for the day and still have 300 calories to spend so I know I can eat fruit without adding sodium but that sounds kinda boring to me right now since I already had 3 fruit servings today.

Any suggestions or meal ideas?

I have BP issues following a pregnancy 10 years ago and yes, I keep my sodium intake around 1500 (as well as drinking less alcohol, trying to keep my weight down and taking regular exercise.)

My meals are 90% based on natural wholefoods cooked from scratch.  I don't add salt at the table but I add a little pinch in cooking.   My diet yesterday was some poached eggs on wholemeal toast for breakfast, a pitta bread filled with a little pressed chicken, sliced tomato and salad and a fruit yoghurt for lunch, some home-made Chilli Con Carne with brown rice, peas and steamed green beans for supper and a snack of carrot sticks with a little hummus dip and, earlier, a banana. 

Today my diet will be some porridge oats (oatmeal) made with a little milk and dressed with honey and pumpkin seeds.  Lunch is going to be a  Pasta Salad with Broccoli and Almonds.... and probably an apple.  Supper I'm having Chicken & Vegetable Kebabs with a little rice

If you use too many processed foods or if you eat out a lot you won't get your salt intake down far enough.  And if you use things like ham, pickles, cheese or other preserved foods you have to use them in very small amounts.

gi-jane,

I found even when eating all natural fruits and veggies and lean meats my sodium is still hard to keep at about 2000. I did just go out and buy molly Mc Butter and will see how that tastes. I used it years ago and it was just okay if I remember right. I have read up on posts about sodium and it seems there is no good substitute without being too high in potassium so I will just retrain my taste buds for no sodium or less sodium.

I don't drink alcohol so that's a plus for me.

Today i'm cooking a pot of mixed beans that I had soaked over night. I added garlic powder and a bunch of italian spices with no sodium and i'm scared they are going to taste bland without sodium. How do you make beans?

Do you eat your poached eggs on dry toast with no butter and no sodium?

Doesn't chili taste bland with no sodium? I didn't look at your recipe but will as maybe there is a pinch in there or something.

I love pickles (gherkins) as a snack with laughing cow cheese and was able to find a low sodium brand of pickles woo hoo.

I've never made hummus but am going to buy some garbanzo beans and make some but have not yet found a low sodium can of those so i'm worried about how much sodium might be in them.

I bet eating out at a restuarant is a real challenge where sodium is concerned.

If you reduce the salt content for long enough, you'll gradually find you need less and less in order to taste it because your tastebuds will have become less salt tolerant

Beans I cook just in plain water (see garbanzo beans below) but when I add them to a dish I add a pinch of salt in the cooking.   But I use more things like fresh herbs and real garlic (not garlic powder) to add flavour.

Poached eggs I cook directly in water that has a pinch of salt, then served on toast with a little low-fat margarine and seasoned well with freshly ground black pepper.  The chilli had plenty of flavour from tomatoes and chilli powder.  It also had a pinch of salt in the cooking but tastes fine without it

Buy dried chickpeas (garbanzo) for the hummus.... soak overnight, cook the next day, drain very well, allow to cool and then freeze the results in a big bag.  That way you have sodium-free beans which are ready to serve or add to a dish.  You need to add salt to hummus or it just tastes wrong! .... but obviously serve it in really small amounts.  I tend not to eat out in too many restaurants unless it's a special occasion.  We eat out maybe once a month.

2000mg isn't a bad result really.  Sub 2400mg is the usual recommendation and if you're getting your weight down and taking regular exercise you should be able to control your BP without being at 1500 every day.

gi-jane,

Thanks :) I'm going to have to look for garbonzo beans in a bag dried. I have never seen them before and would not have even thought of it.

I thought of using fresh garlic with those beans but didn't think it would make that much of a difference but maybe it does. I will try that next time :)