Vegan Nutrition with Dina Aronson, M.S. R.D.

Dina Aronson, MS, RD is a vegan dietitian whose specialties include chronic disease prevention, vegetarian/vegan nutrition, and lifestyle management. She is the founder and director of VeganRD.com, a nutrition consulting company. Active in many vegetarian nutrition organizations, Dina was the recipient of the American Dietetic Association's Recognized Young Dietitian of the Year Award in 2002.

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My husband was recently given one month to make some lifestyle changes before going to medication for high blood pressure, 150/90. Last night he thought he was eating well, steamed veggies, but when he checked the restaurant's web site for nutritional info, he discovered that they had been seasoned, raising the sodium content to 900 mg. Are there any "emergency tricks" to repair the damage of recent eating? Does drinking extra water quickly flush the sodium out of the body, or cause it to retain more even more water, thereby raising blood pressure?

And, I know that a general rule of thumb for fat is 3 grams per 100 calories. Is there a similar formula for sodium content in foods? I'm looking for something quick and easy to calculate while standing in the grocery aisles.

Thanks!
Carol Martin

Dear Carol,

Great questions! First, congratulations to your husband for first trying dietary modification for high blood pressure, before going on medication. Indeed, 150/90 is not so terribly high that medication is necessary right away, and lifestyle changes may be all he needs to lower those numbers. To decrease blood pressure, certainly cutting sodium is one step that might help. (Not everyone is "sodium-sensitive," meaning that not everyone can decrease their blood pressure by restricting sodium.) In addition, eating foods high in calcium, magnesium, and potassium appear to play a role. (Fresh fruits and veggies, anyone?) Exercise is possibly the most powerful thing one can do to lower blood pressure. And losing weight (if one is overweight) almost always leads to improvement in blood pressure.

One high-sodium meal may cause a small transient increase in blood pressure, but, much like one soy ice cream splurge in an otherwise low-calorie eating plan, it won't have much, if any, effect over several days. It's the diet and exercise habits over the course of several days and weeks that will make the difference (that's why your husband was given a month to make the changes).

Drinking extra water will not increase blood pressure; it may help normalize the body and help flush out the extra sodium. It probably won't be a "quick fix" in lowering blood pressure either. Regardless, it is a good idea to maximize water consumption for good health, and may help keep blood pressure better in check over time.

As far as a formula for sodium in foods, there isn't one, because sodium varies so widely from food to food. If one food has a lot of sodium, it's ok, because it can be offset by low sodium foods for the rest of the day. Fortunately, food manufacturers are required to include sodium content on their labels, so just peak at a food's label to see how much sodium it has. Try to keep daily sodium intake to under 2000 mg per day. And remember that the number on the label refers to the amount in one serving (people typically eat more than one serving!) Sodium comes mainly from processed foods, and sometimes in foods you wouldn't expect, like breakfast cereals. Fresh fruits, vegetables, dry beans, nuts (unsalted), and grains are very low in sodium. A whole-foods vegan diet is naturally very low in sodium, but many vegan processed foods are quite high.

Disclaimer: The advice given here is for eductional purposes only. You should not use this information to diagnose or treat a health problem or disease without consulting with a qualified health care provider.

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