Sodium, potassium, and blood pressure

Question
Tanya
I am 55. I have always craved salt,enjoying chips, and seasoning salt on my meat, but in average quantities. I also crave tomato juice and saurkraut but I think its the salt.
I dont think I consume more salt than average.
I have always been heavy for my size with a distended belly with visible veins.
I have tried lots of stuff but recently I decided to cut out using salt as much as I can.
Is only been a week but my blood pressure is down, I feel less bloated, my fingers and toes dont tingle, and I am less anxious.
It amazes me to think that cutting out the salt did this?
I have looked up 'salt intolerance/ allergy and nothing comes up. In fact we need salt, unlike sugar.
Thanks for your thoughts.

Answer
Dear Gord,

It could. Then you are a lucky person to find such an obvious and easy way to manage your blood pressure. There's also a big potassium issue: "There isn't as much focus on potassium, but potassium seems to be effective in lowering blood pressure and the combination of a higher intake of potassium and lower consumption of sodium seems to be more effective than either on its own in reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease," is stated in the  study conducted by researchers at Loyola University published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, 2009.

Dietary recommendations for salt and potassium are roughly: 1 teaspoon of table salt and 4.7 grams of potassium daily (unless there are medical contraindication against these amounts).

Information on food sources of potassium:
http://atkinszone-recipes.blogspot.com/2008/09/food-sources-of-potassium.html

Hope it helps,

Tanya Zilberter

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