Fact or fiction quiz

We are constantly being bombarded with healthy eating advice – whether you turn on the TV, open a newspaper, flick through a magazine or even walk into your local chemist. While its good news that more of us are aware of the important role of eating healthily to help maintain our health, with so much advice about diet and nutrition in the news, it can be difficult to understand what is fact or fiction. But don't worry we have sorted through the 10 most common food myths regarding diet and blood pressure for you.

1. If I had high blood pressure, I would know about it.

   False. High blood pressure is often known as the silent killer, as there are often no warning signs. Everyone should know their blood pressure figure, just as you would know your weight. The only way to know whether you have high blood pressure is to have it measured by your practice nurse or GP, so if you haven’t done so already go and get it tested at your local surgery.

2. I don't add salt to my food, so I cannot be eating too much.

   False. Most of the salt you eat is not what you add to your food, but is hidden in prepared foods like breakfast cereals, bread, some meats, meat dishes and meat products, savoury snacks and ready meals. Indeed, a staggering 75% of a person’s salt intake comes from processed foods alone. It is worthwhile getting into the habit of checking food labels when shopping, as it’s not always obvious where the salt is in your diet.

3. A quick fix diet is a great way to get my excess weight off in no time.

   False. Being a healthy weight is very important in helping to control your blood pressure. If you are overweight, losing weight will help to reduce blood pressure. However the key to successful weight loss is not to go on a crash diet, but to make small changes to your eating habits and to your activity levels that you can keep to for life. If you are overweight, set yourself realistic goals. Aim to lose around 5 – 10% of your overall weight over a period of 3 – 6 months. A weight loss of between 0.5 – 1 kilogram (1 – 2 pounds) a week is good and achievable.

4. I will not be able to tell if my food is high in salt.

   False. This is where the on pack traffic light labelling systems and Guideline Daily Amounts on food products can be very useful in helping to alert you to foods that perhaps you wouldn't have known were high in salt. (Web Link - Food Labelling). Look out for lower salt foods. High is more than 1.5g salt per 100g (or 0.6g sodium). Low is 0.3g salt per 100g (or 0.1g sodium).

5. Food is very bland without a shake from the salt cellar.

   False. Don’t be downhearted. You can wean yourself off salt, just like you can with sugar. Studies show that your salty taste buds can be reconditioned in a couple of months, so try and stick with it and you never know you might start to prefer the taste of some foods with less salt. Try and enhance your food with other flavours – herbs, spices, chilli, garlic, lemon, black pepper etc.

6. Expensive salts are better for you than table salt.

   False. Don’t be deceived, the only difference between these salts – table, rock salt, garlic salt, sea salt, himalayan salt, and smoked salt – are in their taste, texture and processing, not their chemical make-up. They all contain sodium and it’s the sodium in salt that can raise your blood pressure if you have too much.

7. Fresh tomatoes are better than processed tomatoes at lowering your blood pressure.

   False. This is a case of nature does not always know better. Research shows that the powerful antioxidant lycopene, which may partly be responsible for tomatoes’ beneficial effects on blood pressure, is absorbed more efficiently by the body, if the tomatoes are processed into juice, sauce, paste and ketchup.

8. Drink more alcohol to lower your blood pressure.

   False. Moderate drinking, that is 1 or 2 units a day, may offer some benefits to your blood pressure, especially in men over 40 and women who have been through the menopause. What’s more is that although more studies are needed, there is evidence suggesting that red wine may provide some protection against coronary heart disease. What we can be certain of is that drinking too much alcohol will raise your blood pressure over time, along with increasing your risk of many other health problems – kidney disease, heart disease and stroke. Alcohol also contains a lot of calories providing seven calories a gram which will also make you gain weight. This may further increase your blood pressure. To keep your blood pressure down, it is important to keep to sensible limits when drinking alcohol. Men should not regularly drink more than 3 – 4 units of alcohol a day. Women should not regularly drink more than 2 – 3 units of alcohol a day. But for good health, it's a good idea to spread your drinking throughout the week and avoid binge drinking.

9. Don’t go to work on an egg.

   False. Health experts now agree that far from being unhealthy, they are one of nature's most nutritionally rich foods and can make a significant contribution to a healthy diet, just 1 egg provides nearly 6 grams of protein in just 80 calories. The egg is a nutrient-dense food, containing high quality protein and a wide range of essential vitamins and minerals such as vitamins A and D, B vitamins, some vitamin E, as well as the minerals iodine, phosphorus and selenium.

Foods that hinder

Salt.

Is your diet piled high with salt? You might not think so, especially if you don’t add it to your food when cooking or at the table. But every day in the UK 85% of men and 69% of women eat too much salt. When most people think of salt, they think of shaking or grinding it on their food, or adding a pinch to their cooking. But the salt we add ourselves makes up just a small part of the salt we eat.

Eating too much salt can cause high blood pressure, which is considered an important risk factor for developing heart disease and stroke.

How much salt?

Adults should eat no more than 6g of salt a day: that’s around one teaspoon to help maintain a healthy blood pressure. Yet the average consumption in the UK is about 8.6 grams, with many people actually eating much more than this amount.

The British Heart Foundation highlights that if we reduced our salt intake by around 2.5g a day, the risk of stroke or heart attack would fall by 25%. Even small changes to your salt intake could make a big difference and it is considered the quickest way to get your blood pressure down, particularly if yours is high.

Be label savvy

It is important to know that the majority of the salt you eat is not what you add to your food, but is hidden in processed foods like breakfast cereals, bread, some meats, meat dishes and meat products, savoury snacks and ready meals. Experts now think as much as three quarters of all the salt we consume comes from processed foods (including bread, breakfast cereals and puddings), while only 10 – 15% is added when cooking or at the table and 10–15% is naturally present in foods.

So it is worthwhile getting into the habit of checking food labels when shopping. The traffic light system and Guideline Daily Amounts on food labels are there to help you and can be very useful in alerting you to foods that perhaps you wouldn't have known were high in salt. Don't get confused by labels listing sodium chloride (salt is the common name for sodium chloride); to work out the amount of salt in the food simply multiply this sodium figure by 2.5.  (Web Link Food Labelling)

It is worth remembering that the label might tell you how much salt (or sodium) is in the whole pack, in 100g or in a suggested portion, but the serving size listed may not be the same as the amount you will eat.

Here is a quick way to tell if a food is high in salt by looking at the nutritional information on the label.

Per 100g                  A lot                      A little

Salt                     1.5g or more     0.3g or less

Sodium chloride    0.6g or more     0.1g or less

If you want to cut down on your salt intake and lower your blood pressure, the good news is there are plenty of simple things you can do to help.

Salt busting tips:

• Try to limit using salt at the table or during cooking.
• Look out for ‘no added salt’ or ‘reduced salt’ on food labels.
• If you're a big fan of the salt cellar and think that food tastes bland without it, try other, healthier flavours: freshly ground black pepper, a little fresh lemon, herbs and spices, garlic, and chilli.
• Cut down on the amount of processed food you eat and cook from scratch, using fresh ingredients wherever possible.
• Cut down on salty snacks such as crisps. Go for low-salt snacks such as dried fruit, sticks of vegetables and unsalted nuts instead.
• Taste your food before shaking the salt cellar all over it.
• Your salty taste buds will be reconditioned in a couple of months, so stick with it and you will soon find that foods that you previously ate now taste salty.
• Don’t just rely on the taste of food. The mouth does not always pick up salt, if it is masked by lots of sugar, such as in soups, baked beans, etc.
• For cooking or at the table, some people feel that using salt substitutes such as LoSalt (contains potassium (70%) and sodium (30%)) can help replace their need for salt and due to their potassium content may have a beneficial effect on blood pressure. However, they are not to everyone’s taste and as they still provide a salty taste they won’t necessarily help your taste buds adapt to a less salty diet. Please take note that if you have kidney disease or diabetes, you should not use salt substitutes without first seeking medical advice.
• Be careful with breakfast cereals. Even though you may not associate breakfast cereals as a high salt food, 30% of the salt in our diet actually comes from cereal and cereal products, e.g. bread, breakfast cereals, biscuits and cereal bars. Switch to breakfast cereals with no added salt, such as Shredded Wheat, some types of muesli or homemade porridge. Or compare the labels on your favourite cereals and choose the ones lower in salt.
• Put the same blood pressure friendly eating habits into place when eating out. Ask for your fish and chips without salt and then add it to your taste; avoid Chinese foods high in monosodium glutamate as this is also high in salt, steer clear of pepperoni, bacon, or extra cheese topping on your pizza; ask for dressings on the side so you don’t add too much to your food.

Caffeine

Drinking or eating too much caffeine may cause a slight, short-term rise in your heart rate and blood pressure, especially if you are sensitive to caffeine’s effects but this rise is similar to the effects of normal activity, such as climbing stairs. More research is needed to understand if caffeine actually increases the risk of stroke in those with high blood pressure but in the meantime, if you are concerned, speak with your GP about caffeine intakes.

Caffeine occurs naturally in a range of foods, such as coffee, tea and chocolate, and it's also added to some soft drinks and energy drinks. It is advisable for everyone to try to keep your caffeine intake to below the recommended 400mg per day. The amount of caffeine in food and drinks will vary, but use the following chart as a guide to working out how much caffeine you consume each day:

Table of caffeine content

Caffeine content

Average cup of instant coffee    75mg caffeine

Average mug of instant coffee   100mg caffeine

Average cup of brewed coffee   100mg caffeine

Average mug of tea       75mg caffeine

Regular cola drink          Up to 40mg caffeine

Regular energy drink      Up to 80 mg caffeine

Plain chocolate Bar (50g)

Chocolate (contains theobromine, a milder form of caffeine). Up to 50mg caffeine – milk chocolate has around half the caffeine content of plain chocolate.

The British Coffee Association

Alcohol

Drinking too much alcohol will raise your blood pressure over time, along with increasing your risk of many other health problems. Alcohol also contains a lot of calories providing seven calories a gram which will also make you gain weight. This may further increase your blood pressure.

Calorie content in some alcoholic drinks

1 pint lager (574ml)                       170 kcal

1 single measure of spirits (25ml)   55 kcal

1 glass wine (175ml)                      120 kcal

To keep your blood pressure down, it is important to keep to sensible limits when drinking alcohol.

Men should not regularly drink more than 3–4 units of alcohol a day.

Women should not regularly drink more than 2–3 units of alcohol a day.

For more information see the Drink Aware website – www.drinkaware.co.uk

What’s a unit?

The number of units of alcohol in a drink depends on its strength and size. As a guide, the NHS suggests that a pint of (*ABV 4%) lager is 2.3 units, a 175ml glass of (*ABV 13%) wine is 2.3 units and a 25ml glass of (*ABV 40%) single spirit and mixer is 1 unit.

*Percentages given in brackets refer to Alcohol by Volume (ABV) of stated drink.

But for good health, it's a good idea to spread your drinking throughout the week and avoid binge drinking.

Top tips:

• Have at least 2 alcohol free days a week.
• Try to make your drinks last longer by adding soda water, having a white wine spritzer, or drinking water in between your alcoholic drinks to hydrate you.
• Cut down on your alcohol intake by swapping strong beers or wines for ones with a lower strength (ABV in %).
• Be careful with the bar nibbles, crisps, capers, olives and peanuts etc.  They can be packed full of salt, which will not only make you want to drink more but will also affect your blood pressure.

Healthy diet information

This section contains useful information which has been collated to help you maintain a diet that’s right for a healthy lifestyle. See the list of links below for further information on healthy eating, healthy snack options, BMI, fridge essentials and much more.

Which foods should you eat more of and which should you eat less of? Teach yourself about food groups, balanced meals, portion sizes, and how to cut down on sugar and saturated fats. Read more about eating well.

Here, Body Mass Index is explained. Information on body shapes, waist sizes, and the risks of obesity associated with these factors. Read more about healthy body weight.

Learn how to lose weight steadily and sensibly. Get information on BMI, calorie intake, food diaries, and the science behind weight loss. Read more about losing weight sensibly.

Snacking doesn’t need to be unhealthy. Learn how planning ahead, and snacking on foods such as fruits and cereal bars, can benefit your diet. Read more about healthy snacking options.

Eating out can be as healthy as you want it to be. Learn which foods to choose when dining out, and how you can make the whole experience healthier without compromising on enjoyment. Read more about eating out healthily.

Keeping the fridge stocked with healthy essentials is vital to a balanced diet. See which meat, vegetables and dairy products we recommend you always have in your fridge. Read more about healthy fridge essentials.

Get organised for a healthier diet with a diverse food cupboard. Learn which foods are best for making the basis of quick, nutritious meals – including vegetable oils, tinned fish and pulses. Read more about healthy store cupboard essentials.

Take our simple healthy eating questionnaire to see if you’re eating healthily or if there is some room for improvement. There are ten multiple-choice questions with advice and top tips along the way to help you boost your eating patterns for life. Good luck!