Which is better to lower blood pressure? Garlic SALT or Garlic POWDER

Published September 20, 2011 | By Lisa Nelson, RD

Your daily intake of salt has a direct impact on your blood pressure. For some individuals who are salt sensitive the impact on blood pressure levels is even greater.

Restock Your Spice Rack

Spices are a wonderful way to add flavor to your foods so you are less tempted to reach for the salt shaker at the table. However, you need to purchase the right spices. For example, replace garlic SALT, which contains 320 mg of sodium per ¼ teaspoon, with garlic POWDER which contains 1 mg per 1 teaspoon.

The same goes for onion salt, replace it with onion powder and any other ‘salts’ you may have in your cupboard.

Now, you need to dig a little deeper and look at the pre-mixed seasonings you may have. Let me give you an actual example using my spice rack. I’ve pulled out the following three spices – Grill Mates Motreal Steak Seasoning, Grill Mates Chicken Rub, & Mrs. Dash Original Blend.

Mrs. Dash is known for being a low sodium choice and the Original Blend contains 0 mg of sodium. The chicken rub contains 260 mg of sodium per 2 teaspoons while the steak seasoning has a whooping 590 mg per ¾ teaspoon. Naturally that would be one of my favorite seasonings. Hmm, good thing I’m about out. I’ll have to look for an alternative.

I recommend you do the same thing with your spice rack. Go through and read the labels. See how much sodium each contains. For those high in sodium start looking for an alternative option lower in sodium. Different brands of spices often contain different levels of sodium, so read the labels while you shop.

If you are not a fan of Mrs. Dash products, some of the main brands offer low sodium options. I just did a Google search and see that McCormick’s does make a Grill Mates Steak Seasoning reduced in sodium – 390 mg per ¾ teaspoon versus 590. Better.

Be sure to sign up for the free ecourse 7 Natural Ways to Lower Blood Pressure at http://lowerbloodpressurewithlisa.com.

All the best,
Lisa Nelson RD
http://lisanelsonrd.com