What Should I Do After Consuming Too Much Salt?

Unfortunately, we cannot undo the impact of excessive salt intake on our heart and blood vessels. The only way to protect our body from the harmful effects of salt and sodium is to limit our intake as far as possible. Remember, the recommended sodium limit is 2,000mg per day, equivalent to 5g or 1 teaspoon of salt. If you have been consuming too much salt, fret not! It’s never too late to make changes:

1. Retrain your taste buds
If you have a higher salt taste threshold (i.e. can only taste saltiness at a higher concentration), check out our guide on how you can reverse your salty tastebuds in 3 weeks.

2. Have a healthy balanced meal
Follow the guide from the SHF Heart Smart Eating Plate to cultivate healthier eating habits through recommended food portioning and SHF’s 3-5-7 healthy heart diet principles. This will also discourage “super-sized” portions, which can lead to excess weight gain and obesity – a risk factor for cardiovascular disease.

3. Active lifestyle
Regular physical activity such as 150 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity a week may help to lower your blood pressure by about 5 to 8 mmHg if you have high blood pressure. However, it is important to be consistent because if you stop exercising, your blood pressure can rise again.

Here are some exercise suitable for beginners and cardiac patients to kickstart your exercise regime.