No matter how many diet plans you make, some days are just waiting there to make your routine all messed up. Fast food addiction is one of them. It can cause hypertension in young people due to large amounts of sodium in them.

An average Mcdonald’s Big Mac meal contains 1495 mg of sodium. While a normal person daily sodium intake should not be more than 2,300 mg a day according to 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans.

  • Medium French Fries: 270 mg
  • Big Mac: 1000 mg
  • Coca-Cola: 15 mg
  • Two Ketchup Packs (10g each): 110 mg

An average person not cooking home food mostly depends on fast food. One meal containing around 1500 mg of sodium; considering a person eats two to three times a day outside means a tremendous increase in sodium intake.

The 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans also recommend limiting sodium to less than 1,500 mg if you’re age 51 or older, or if you are black, or if you have high blood pressure, diabetes or chronic kidney disease.

An average American however gets about 3,400 mg of sodium a day — much more than recommended. Limiting down on fast food, processed food and canned food can help you reduce sodium content.

Still eating outside here are the few tips for reducing your sodium content:

  1. Always order fries without salt
  2. Eat less ketchup
  3. Drink diet coke
  4. Eat around 6-7 almonds daily. (Almonds have much more potassium content causing the body to get rid of excess sodium via Sodium-Potassium Pump in kidneys.)
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