Sodium double whammy alert?

[Gecko123]

I'm in my mid-60's and my systolic blood pressure has been creeping up slowly in the last five years. I kind of ignored this as my diastolic blood pressure and resting pulse were quite low, and figured it was something that naturally occured as you got older. The last time I checked my blood pressure, however, the systolic number got my attention as it was over 160 for the first time. Since then, I've done a review of the factors which contribute to high blood pressure, and I have tentatively concluded that excessive sodium intake may be the primary culprit for me.

 

What dawned on me is that I might be getting too much sodium from both the Thai food and the Western food I'm eating. From the Thai food it's coming from the condiments (soy, fish, oyster, hot sauces), and things like fermented tofu (yumm!) and fermented black beans, salted fish and shrimp, and, yes, once in a blue moon, mama noodles. I also got heavily into bulk food preparation and freezing, which tended to mean a lot of stuff was stir-fried with plenty of the above mentioned condiments added for flavor. I was aware Thai food could be high in sodium, but to be honest, over the years it just became a more and more normalized element of my diet.

 

But, surprisingly, what really seems to have taken my sodium intake to the next level was an increase consumption of Western "comfort" type foods. Because there were no large international grocery stores in my area, I was pretty much limited to Thai style ingredients prior to 2012. But since then the availability and my consumption of Western comfort foods like imported cheeses, olives, anchovies, sauces, etc., has increased a lot.  For example, I had fallen into a regular habit of making home-made pizza, which after checking a list of high-sodium foods, I realized -even homemade -was loaded with salt. Another big reason why my sodium consumption jumped was that I started doing a lot of homemade baking of breads and pastries, all of which contained a fair amount of hidden and added salt. I don't eat out much at all, but needless to say, no matter what style of food you eat chances are it'll have a fair amount of sodium.

 

I'm just pointing out that sodium intake can kind of creep up on you here. It's often hidden, and come at you from a lot of different directions, so you need to be vigilant. I just started a low sodium regime (steamed, poached, roasted with a drastic reduction in condiments) a few days ago, and I feel like I'm already feeling a difference. If anyone has any tips on how to cut down on sodium here I invite them to share them.

 

[Pilotman]

yes to all that.  I know that there is a fairly high sodium content when I do the cooking.  I use soya sauce, Maggie, some table salt etc in cooking at the weekend. I think what saves me from higher BP (mine is in the normal range for my age) is that I only cook such meals 2 days of the week, the rest of the time I have a quite restricted food intake.  I exercise 3/4 times a week and my weight is in the normal range.  I don't eat fast food, avoid processed foods where I can and use alcohol in moderation  (not had an alcoholic drink in 2 months).  Yes, sodium is an enemy, but hard to avoid sometimes, sugar more of an enemy, but it's overall lifestyle that must dictate health indicators such as BP. 

[Gecko123]

One other observation is that a lot of the imported foods available in Thailand are canned and jarred which tend to contain higher sodium, and that unlike in the West, there aren't very many "low-sodium" alternatives available here.

[Pilotman]

28 minutes ago, Gecko123 said:

One other observation is that a lot of the imported foods available in Thailand are canned and jarred which tend to contain higher sodium, and that unlike in the West, there aren't very many "low-sodium" alternatives available here.

Or low sugar. I have yet to find a Thai 'attraction' such as a zoo, gardens, etc that sell diet drinks.  It's either drinks full of sugar or water.    

[tutsiwarrior]

most asian cooking sauces are full of sodium...try stir frying meat and veg and noodles without a sauce (soy, oyster, fish sauce, etc) and you'll find the result is very bland...bring in the kikkoman in the pleasingly designed little boddle and dose that mother...or get big mama (the large woman of the popular oyster sauce label) to do a number on it...on the label she's singin' 'yew ain't nothin' but a houn' dog' as she adds a generous amount of sauce to her wok fulla leafy greens and dismembered puppy dog...

 

 

[Gecko123]

Two weeks into a reduced sodium diet, and already seeing big improvement in blood pressure. Convinced that sodium in Thai stir-fry condiments, Western comfort foods like cheese, and salt added to home made baked goods were the main culprits. Have been eating a lot of steamed vegetables instead of stirfry. Can physically feel my blood pressure has improved, less thirsty, and face less bloated. Really glad I caught this as early as I did.