Forget What Your Doctor Told You: Reducing Your Sodium Intake Alone Won't Cure Your Hypertension

At 23, I was diagnosed with hypertension. My doctor prescribed meds, and advised me to lose weight if I wanted to avoid any further health complications, including preeclampsia if I ever got pregnant. 

She also told me to curb my salt intake.

It's well-intentioned, but this "scare-tactic" propaganda does
more harm than good

Obviously, this diagnosis was heartbreaking for someone as young as I was. I immediately adopted a strict "low-sodium" diet and a rigorous distance running schedule, thinking that this would surely help me drop some unwanted lbs and control my blood pressure. The problem was that the excessive cardio ballooned my appetite, made me crave carbs and other sugary, processed treats, and tanked my metabolism. Despite my best efforts to be conscientious about my sodium intake, my blood pressure remained high. I would experiment and go off my medication for several weeks at a time to prove to myself that I could control my blood pressure, but I kept getting consistently high readings. I was so frustrated. 

How I felt...

and how I looked. The photo on the left is June 2009;
the photo on the right is August/September 2015. I am now
healthier, happier, and medication-free!

Fast forward a few years, and I've transformed my body, my mind, and my health prognosis! I ditched cardio in favor of heavy weight training and body weight exercises to improve my athleticism; I cleaned up my diet and eliminated most processed food, while simultaneously working on my mindset to get at the real reasons why I turn to food when I feel emotionally-vulnerable. It's a journey of constant self-discovery and it's wonderful!

Here's the thing though: my doctor's approach to how I should manage my diagnosis of hypertension was limited in scope because it only addressed the symptoms. "Cut back on sodium" and "lose weight" are superficial solutions to a deeper issue that could not be resolved by weight loss and decreased sodium intake alone. Once I realized this, my perspective shifted and I learned how to manage my hypertension by completely eschewing my doctor's suggestions!!! (I know, I'm a total rebel))

Don't take what your doctor says as gospel: investigate, try,
assess, and reassess

Here are the truths that finally helped me to overcome my hypertension. I've been off medication for over 3 years now, and my blood pressure is normal:

1) If most of your food comes from whole sources, you're going to be eating less processed food and subsequently consume less sodium. You can't overdose on sodium when your diet is coming most from lean protein sources, fruits, vegetables (especially leafy green ones), healthy fats and whole grains. As long as you're plenty active, you don't need to focus so much on your sodium intake because you lose plenty when you sweat. Remember, salt is a mineral and has many curative properties. Humans cannot function at their most optimum when their mineral levels are too low, and that includes sodium.

Source

2) When it comes to chronic but preventable diseases like hypertension, a diet high in processed foods is the real culprit, not sodium alone. Processed foods are packed with sodium and other preservatives that will both make you fat and make you crave more processed foods; they're engineered this way. So cutting back on packaged foods and incorporating foods from whole sources is better advice than to just "reduce sodium intake."

3) The more you sweat, the more sodium you lose and have to replenish. Make sure you're strength training because the more lean muscle you have, the more effectively you excrete sodium and regulate blood pressure. The easier the blood can move from your heart to your other body parts, the harder it is for the pressure within the veins to go up. High-intensity interval training is great to make the heart stronger so it can better pump the blood. The right exercise regimen will easily counteract most of the ill effects of sodium. 

Yup, it's true! [Source]

4) A diagnosis of hypertension often coincides with other preventable health problems and puts one at greater risk of developing heart disease. Addressing the problem more holistically with diet, exercise and mindset modifications can help reverse many preventable health problems.

5) You've got to get yo' mind right first. I was unable to sustain any weight loss or diet modification until I got my mind right. I was exercising from a place of deep unworthiness: my workouts were penance for letting myself get to such an unhealthy point. What I didn't know was that my workouts were doing more harm than good. I started reading different blogs and discovered the concept that you can't guilt yourself to the body you want. You have to be gentler and more compassionate with yourself, just as you would with someone you care about who might be suffering similarly. Would you berate your sister or daughter for eating too much pizza? Would you force her to run it off on the treadmill, or would you tell her that it's ok, that we all struggle, and that it's about the lessons and experiences we collect about ourselves along the way that help us change our mindset? Why treat yourself any differently?!

Source

6) Food journaling and casually monitoring my blood pressure helped me identify the obstacles that were holding me back from achieving better overall health. What foods caused an uptick in my reading? Did I eat too much of something? These are the questions I explored by playing "diet detective." It's only been after much trial and error that I've arrived at a point where I am so tuned in to my body that I know when my blood pressure reading will be slightly elevated. I know that if I enjoy a few indulgences in succession, I'll typically have a high reading. I try to stay consistent with my food journaling which helps me identify any foods that don't agree with me or to which I may have a sensitivity. Again, too much processed food will have the effect of sapping my energy and elevating my bp. Bi-monthly readings help me to monitor how certain foods affect me, and keep me honest about my nutrition. It's a reset that is always available to me, so no matter what kind of nutritional debauchery I've engaged in, I know I'm never more than one choice away from getting back on track! Hello, liberation :-)

So what's the bottom line? In my experience, reducing sodium intake along to control hypertension is not a comprehensive, sustainable solution. I've asked myself: why is the default to demonize salt?! What did it ever do to us except exist (and make food taste delicious!?). Salt is not the culprit for our severely nutrient-deficient Western diet. Instead of focusing on something so specific and getting frustrated when you don't see results (like me!), it's better to be armed with some strategies for how to make healthier choices overall instead. Take the long view, approach your health holistically, and you'll be more likely to see the difference in your blood pressure readings, weight, and overall mindset.