This small habit is making your heart sick, increases the risk of high blood pressure and heart attack:

News Topical, Digital Desk : Our everyday small habits have a huge impact on our health. One of these habits is- eating too much salt. Actually, most people make this mistake, but due to this, the heart gets damaged a lot.

Eating too much salt damages both the heart and the arteries. Let's find out how the habit of eating too much salt (Excess Salt Can Cause Heart Damage) damages the heart and what things are important to keep in mind to avoid it.

How does salt harm?

High Blood Pressure- There is a direct connection between eating too much salt and high blood pressure. The sodium present in salt retains water in the body. When you eat more salt, the amount of fluid in your body increases. This causes more pressure on the walls of the arteries and the heart has to work harder to pump blood. Due to persistent high blood pressure, the walls of the arteries become weak and narrow.
Hardening of arteries - High blood pressure can damage the inner lining of arteries. To repair this damage, the body accumulates cholesterol and other substances, forming plaque . This plaque makes the arteries narrow and hard. The risk of blood clots in them increases.
Increased risk of heart attack and stroke- When the heart has to pump blood through narrowed arteries, it puts more pressure on it. This can weaken the heart muscles, increasing the risk of heart failure . If there is a blockage in the heart artery, a heart attack can occur. Similarly, if there is a blockage in the artery carrying blood to the brain, there is a risk of stroke.

How to protect your heart?

The good thing is that protection from this "silent danger" is completely in our own hands. By taking care of some small things, you can keep your heart safe.

Avoiding processed and packaged food- 70-80% of our salt comes from processed foods like chips, namkeen, biscuits, instant noodles, sauces, pickles, and packaged soups. Avoiding these is the first and most important step.
Cook fresh food- Fresh homemade food is the best option. This way you know how much salt you have added to the food.
Reduce salt gradually- It may be difficult to stop salt completely suddenly. So reduce the intake of salt gradually.
Use of spices and herbs- Do not depend on salt to enhance the taste of food. Use herbs like coriander, mint, basil and spices like black pepper, cumin, turmeric, ginger, garlic.
Read the label – Before buying any packaged item, definitely check the amount of sodium on its label.