People with high blood pressure are generally advised to reduce their intake of dietary salt. The average U.S. salt consumption is about 3,400 mg per day, but the latest Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend keeping sodium intake below 2,300 mg per day for healthy people, and under 1,500 mg for people with high blood pressure and for those at risk of high blood pressure, most notably blacks and people over age 50. These groups make up about 70 percent of the U.S. population. The American Heart Association recommends that everyone should consume less than 1,500 mg of sodium per day.

These recommendations come from the results of the DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) studies, which have found that a reduction of salt intake to below 1,500 mg per day is an effective method for reducing blood pressure.¹ Whether or not the reduction of dietary salt leads to further cardiovascular benefits has been a subject of debate, however.

In July of this year, a controversial² Cochrane Review published in the American Journal of Hypertension found that recommendations for a reduction in salt intake did lead to reduced salt consumption and a small reduction in blood pressure after six months, but that, “cutting down on the amount of salt has no clear benefits in terms of likelihood of dying or experiencing cardiovascular disease,” concluded the study.³ In fact, one finding of the study was an increase in the risk of death in people with congestive heart failure. The lead researcher stated, “We believe that we didn’t see big benefits in this study because the people in the trials we analyzed only reduced their salt intake by a moderate amount, so the effect on blood pressure and heart disease was not large.”

The saga continues with a recent Cochrane Review, also published in the American Journal of Hypertension, which reviewed 167 studies and found that reduction of dietary salt intake resulted in a modest 1 percent decrease in blood pressure in Caucasians with normal blood pressure and a 3.5 percent decrease in Caucasians with high blood pressure.⁴ Further, the study also found that salt reduction increased renin, aldosterone, adrenaline and noradrenaline (all hormones that affect blood pressure), in addition to raising cholesterol by 2.5 percent and triglycerides by 7 percent. These potentially harmful effects call into question the recommendation to reduce salt intake in Caucasians on cardiovascular risk overall.

The major source of sodium in the Standard American Diet (SAD) comes from processed food—cheese, bread, pizza, and grain-based foods and desserts being the main sources. This is a problem in itself. Perhaps it’s not the sodium that is the major contributor to cardiovascular risk, but rather the overall poor quality of the diet. Processed foods, refined grains, sugars, and chemical additives have turned the American diet into a ticking time bomb for heart disease—and most all chronic disease, for that matter. Remember that salt, in its natural form (from the sea) contains an array of minerals that help support nutrient sufficiency in the diet. Sea salt, like any salt, should be consumed in moderation—don’t overdo it, but you might not want to reduce levels as drastically as have been recommended.

The good news is there are other ways to eat a tasty (or even spicy) moderate amount of salt in your food:  Herbamare is a product which contains sea salt, lemon, fennel, leek, onions, chives, parsley, dill, basil, carrots, garlic, bay leaves,  marjoram, rosemary, thyme, chili, and kelp. Some varieties have hotter chili for those who like it. In addition, adding more kelp, nori, or dulse, all sea vegetables, adds more minerals (including iodine) in a natural form that would be beneficial for most everyone.  Through the use of medicinal foods like these, eating can be a joy that balances salt and herbs, providing much more than just table salt. And now for dessert:  It turns out that dark chocolate and almonds are quite beneficial in lowering blood pressure as well.

References

1. F.M. Sacks, et al., “Effects on blood pressure of reduced dietary sodium and the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet. DASH-Sodium Collaborative Research Group.” N Engl J Med. 2001 Jan 4;344(1):3-10.
2. F.J. He and G.A. MacGregor, “Salt reduction lowers cardiovascular risk: meta-analysis of outcome trials.” Lancet. 2011 Jul 30;378(9789):380-2.
3. R.S. Taylor, et al., “Reduced dietary salt for the prevention of cardiovascular disease: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (Cochrane review).” Am J Hypertens. 2011 Aug;24(8):843-53.
4. G. Jurgens and N.A. Graudal, “Effects of low sodium diet versus high sodium diet on blood pressure, renin, aldosterone, catecholamines, cholesterols, and triglyceride.” Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2004;(1):CD004022.

Leonard Smith, M.D.
Dr. Leonard Smith is a prominent Board-Certified, general, gastrointestinal and vascular surgeon who had a successful private practice for 25 years. In addition to his active surgery practice, he also incorporated lifestyle, diet, supplementation, exercise, detoxification, and stress management into many of the therapies he would prescribe. Many of his patients with cancer, cardiovascular disease, and other serious illnesses did so well under his treatment regimes that he began to devote most of his career to foundational health care and preventive medicine.

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Renew You Challenge

Let’s start this week off right!

Weekly challenge (I mean opportunity!) to help set you off on the right foot and in the right direction for bringing health to your week. You could even add it to your calendar. Join us!

I keep hearing about nutrient-dense foods, and I like that term because it places high importance on foods that contain a high amount of nutrients, like fruits and veggies, beans and legumes, nuts and seeds, lean proteins and healthy fats like olive oil and fish oil.

In contrast, the term “empty calories” depicts a food high in calories, but low in nutrients. Empty calories can be found all around us—often in processed foods high in refined flours and added sugars. These foods pack the calories (don’t forget the pounds and the negative health effects, too!) but lack the nutrients.

This week, adopt a new general rule (a very good general rule, I might add): try to eat as many nutrient-dense foods as you can, and minimize (or eliminate!) empty calories. Replace your sweetened beverages with non-sweetened green tea. Replace your dinner roll with extra veggies! Say good-bye to that ice-cream dessert and hello to some fruit with plain yogurt. These choices get easier to make over time, and your body will thank you.

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Renew You Challenge

Let’s start this week off right!

Weekly challenge (I mean opportunity!) to help set you off on the right foot and in the right direction for bringing health to your week. You could even add it to your calendar. Join us!

A study published back in May was the first to show that the Bt toxin from genetically modified corn enters the bloodstream. The study involved 30 pregnant women and 39 non-pregnant Canadian women, and found the toxin in 93 percent of the pregnant women, in 80 percent of the umbilical cord blood of their babies, and in 67 percent of the non-pregnant women.

The researchers suggest that the toxins entered the bloodstream by way of the consumption of meat from animals fed Bt corn. Certainly dairy from animals fed Bt corn, or even corn products made of Bt corn, could also be sources of the toxin. Fully 88 percent of the corn planted in the U.S. is genetically engineered. Much of this is used as animal feed, though genetically modified corn ingredients can also be found in a vast array of processed foods.

There is currently a movement to pass legislation that would require labeling of genetically modified foods. Visit the website for the Institute for Responsible Technology to sign a petition, and to see video segments from the Dr. Oz show on this topic.

When it comes to genetically engineered foods, one major fear has been that genetically modified plants could spread to the wild. Another recent study, published in the online journal PLoS ONE, has found that this is now a reality. Large populations of genetically engineered canola have been found outside of cultivation areas, and are capable of hybridizing with each other, creating yet new combinations of transgenic traits.

This week, if you think that genetically modified foods should be labeled, sign the petition here.

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Gastroenterologists from Johns Hopkins University are reporting something I don’t find surprising at all—kids are experiencing more serious and chronic bouts of constipation. Why? Lack of physical activity, inadequate water intake and fiber-poor diets are the biggest culprits.   

As I said, it’s not surprising. Traditional medicine defines constipation in children as three or fewer bowel movements per week, for at least three months (not necessarily consecutive) per year. They say that these children need to be treated early and aggressively. They also say, “no amount of fiber or prune juice will help a child with serious chronic constipation.”

Wanna know what I say? I say if children are not experiencing a bowel movement every day, they are constipated. If they miss a day, they are constipated and should be treated for it.  How’s that for early? Sure, if a child is only having three bowel movements per week for three months, fiber and prune juice might not be enough. But more importantly, we need to not let the problem get that far. In fact, it starts in infancy, with a proper diet (including plenty of breast milk!).

One bowel movement daily—that should be the norm, OK?

The researchers do recommend plenty of water intake, plenty of exercise, a high-fiber diet rich in fruits and vegetables, and a diet low in processed foods and foods that are high in fat and sugar. They also recommend the use of a stool or box to prop up legs into a more natural position.  They also stress the importance of teaching kids to never “hold” or ignore the urge to move the bowels.

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As it turns out, 3-year-old children who consume a diet high in processed foods are more likely to have a lower IQ by the age of 8 when compared to children who eat either a traditional meat and potatoes diet, or a diet rich in fruits and vegetables, salads, rice and pasta. A recent study tracked almost 4,000 children from age 3 to age 8 ½ to determine effects on IQ of different dietary patterns. Findings in this study reflect those of other dietary studies in children that link behavior and school performance with dietary factors.

So this week, if you know a toddler, begin sharing healthy foods with the child. The brain develops most rapidly during the first three years of life. If you can instill good eating habits at this early age, just imagine the possibilities!

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For this week’s ‘Renew You’ Challenge, I want to talk about the bad fats in your diet. Since trans fat amounts have appeared in Nutrition Facts panels on packaged foods, food processors have been trying to lower or eliminate trans fats from many foods. But did you know that if a food contains less than 0.5 grams of trans fat per serving, the label can still read 0g? So if it contains 0.49 grams of trans fat, you’d never know!

Hopefully that will be changing, as awareness of this little white lie is revealed. Currently, the daily consumption of over 1.11g of trans fats is considered excessive and may lead to long-term health effects. But with hidden trans fats in foods, it’s easy to see how this limit can be quickly surpassed.

How do you know if your food label is lying to you? The best way to determine if trans fats are still present in your foods is to call the food manufacturer. Doing this for everything you eat is unreasonable, however, so my advice is to steer clear of processed foods, especially those that you know used to contain trans fats. Try to consume mostly whole foods, which don’t contain trans fats, and are naturally high in nutrients and fiber.

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We have survived another big holiday season! Unfortunately, we may find an unfriendly scale when we return the gym. For many the scale can reveal a five- or even 10-pound weight gain. January is a time for many people to restart a diet program, but most diet seekers don’t understand that calorie reduction alone is a recipe for failure—even damaging to the body. Calorie restriction alone can program the body to store more fat even quicker once normal food intake is resumed (possibly due to epigenomic reprogramming).

In order to be successful at achieving and maintaining an optimum body weight, there are many things to consider: exercise, good quality and quantity of sleep, regular elimination, and stress reduction. Equally important are meals that are higher in protein, fiber, and complex carbs; yet low in simple carbs, trans fats and other processed foods. The ideal diet would be about 80% planted based; rich in micronutrients including vitamins, antioxidants, minerals, trace minerals, beneficial pre- and probiotics, and plant and fruit phytochemicals (there are at least two thousand); while not exceeding more than about 500 to 700 calories per meal.

Here is a short list of helpful tips:

• Minimize eating after about 7 pm (ideally, don’t eat at all after then), so when you start a meal between 6 to 8 am, you are truly “breaking a (small) fast.” This is a major way to reset brain leptin receptors which will direct speeding up or slowing down of metabolism.

• Since we all love carbs (and will likely have trouble in this area), take nutrients and amino acids and special types of fiber that will slow absorption of carbs, maintain healthy serotonin levels, and help boost our energy.

• YOU MUST EXERCISE, even if it is just walking—ideally aerobic activity 4 to 5 times per week, resistance training 2 to 3 times per week, with some stretching and/or yoga. Research has shown there is more muscle loss (up to 50%) when using only calorie restriction to reduce weight. Active muscles suck up extra blood sugar, breakdown fat for fuel, and increase metabolism.

• SLEEP at least 7 hours per night. Sleeping less than 6 hours has been shown to increase weight, and begin calcification of your heart arteries.

• Regular ELIMINATION is also essential for lowering toxic burdens and inflammation, which will desensitize insulin receptors and, thus, increase blood sugar and insulin levels—promoting more fat storage. Regular elimination works best with high fiber, good hydration (about half your body weight (pounds) in ounces of water per day—if you weight 150 pounds, that’s 75 ounces of water), and exercise. If you need more help with elimination, supplement with magnesium and other mild laxatives, especially while losing weight so as to minimize reabsorption of toxins from fat breakdown.

• Check for food sensitivities. Food sensitivities alone can cause you to hold 20 or more extra pounds! Generally, stay away from grains like wheat, rice and corn, and switch to seed-type grains like quinoa, amaranth, millet and buckwheat.

• Take 10 to 20 minutes per day to sit still and watch your breath and thoughts. Direct thoughts to more positive aspects of life and have an attitude of gratitude. It will literally balance your autonomic nervous system, and help digestion, elimination and sleep.

The above program could not only get you an ideal body weight, but also reawaken the hidden athlete in you, from your childhood and teenage years.

Leonard Smith, M.D.
Dr. Leonard Smith is a prominent Board-Certified, general, gastrointestinal and vascular surgeon who had a successful private practice for 25 years. In addition to his active surgery practice, he also incorporated lifestyle, diet, supplementation, exercise, detoxification, and stress management into many of the therapies he would prescribe. Many of his patients with cancer, cardiovascular disease, and other serious illnesses did so well under his treatment regimes that he began to devote most of his career to foundational health care and preventive medicine.

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So what if someone told you that the foods you eat might cause depression? Would it make you think twice about what you put on your plate? If it were me it would!

In a recent study scientists looked at how different foods affected our mood and discovered that people who ate more whole foods like fruits, veggies, whole grains and fish were less like to experience symptoms of depression. Folks who ate a diet high in processed foods, however, (including sugary snack foods and refined white sugar products) were more likely to be depressed.

Coincidence? I don’t think so! The differences were even seen when other factors like smoking and too little exercise (both of which can increase depression) were taken into account. So how exactly does food affect our mood?

Well, scientists hypothesize that the high folate levels in certain vegetables and legumes might play a role, and Omega-3 fatty acids in fish have also been shown to help reduce depression. What’s more, the high antioxidant content of fruits and veggies may also be responsible for the decrease in depression symptoms, along with the combination of important nutrients that’s found in a whole-food diet. 

So next time you want to down a pint of ice cream to squash the blues, you might want to think twice!

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Summary:
In this video blog I discuss how the Director of the Bay Country Health Department was recently asked to resign. Why? Well, it seems that his opinion that doughnuts was not acceptable to his boss at the Florida Health Department. What did he say? What other foods does he warn against? Tune in and find out…

Full Script:
After reading a recent article in USA today, I have to say I am a little outraged at the treatment of a young doctor in Pensacola Florida recently. Dr. Jason Newman, a former army doctor who served in Iraq, was recently forced to resign his position as Director of the Bay County Health Department. The reason? He came down to hard on doughnuts, yes you heard me right, on doughnuts. His job at the health department was to educate the public about health issues.

Being a health advocate in a county where 39% of the population is overweight or obese, he began posting health warnings on an electronic sign outside his office, such as “Hamburger equals Spare Tire” and “French Fries equals Thunder Thighs”. Well, he apparently went to far when he parodied Dunkin Donuts slogan by posting up the warning “America Dies on Dunkin”, and barring doughnuts from department meetings and announcing he would throw them away if he saw them in the break room.

Little did he know the County Commissioner owns a diner and a donut shop, as well, two prominent local attorneys owned the new Dunkin Donuts at the beach. After threatening to be sued, his bosses at the Florida Health Department told him he had the choice of being fired or resigning. He chose to resign.

So I guess they should have told him on hiring that he can educate the public about health, just don’t say anything bad about fast food or doughnuts in particular. Cause we got some donut lovin people round these parts!

And this is what is backwards about this country, someone in the Health Department getting forced to resign by trying to get people to cut back on sweets and eat healthier. There are over 10 billion donuts consumed by Americans each year and it is no secret that a diet high in processed foods like donuts can lead to diabetes, obesity and other health problems.

All I can say is – Wake Up America and thank you Dr. Newman for speaking out.

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