Too much sodium in your diet can result in high blood pressure.
The current recommended daily allowance for an adult is just 6g of
salt, equivalent to 2.4g of sodium, to keep sodium levels down and
help maintain a healthy high blood pressure.
Just as too much sodium in the diet can lead to high blood
pressure, too little potassium can also contribute. In fact,
there's evidence to suggest that increasing your potassium intake
can actually help to maintain a healthy blood pressure.
With the average British diet containing just 80% of the
recommended daily intake of potassium, any increase is likely to be
beneficial for most people.
Sodium and potassium work together to control your blood
pressure. Ideally, you need to moderate your sodium intake along
with making an effort to eat more foods rich in potassium.
Foods that contain potassium include fruit and vegetables
(including dried ones), potatoes, pulses, nuts and seeds, milk and
yoghurt, fish, poultry and wholegrain cereals.