
6. About Those Sodium Levels
As noted earlier, sodium is crucial to heart health. Too much of it will cause your blood pressure to rise slowly. This may be why the DASH diet also offers a lower sodium intake option, for those who are genuinely dealing with heart failure and are desperate to reduce their blood pressure. Stated earlier, the standard DASH diet encourages users to take in up to 2,300 milligrams of sodium per day. With the low sodium option, dieters will be required to take in only 1,500 milligrams of sodium each day.
Both versions of the diet aim to reduce your overall consumption of sodium, which can reach levels as high as 3,400 milligrams per day for some individuals. If you are worried that the difference in sodium intake is drastic, do not be swayed: recommendations from several astute institutions are within the parameters set out by the DASH diet. In fact, the Dietary Guidelines for Americans suggest that all United States adults should keep their sodium consumption at less than 2,300 milligrams per day while the American Heart Association recommends 1,500 milligrams as an upper limit for adults.