How much salt can I eat if I have high blood pressure?

The American Heart Association recommends limiting sodium to less than 1,500 mg per day for individuals with hypertension. This roughly equates to just half a teaspoon of table salt per day across all your meals.

Why is potassium important for blood pressure?

Potassium acts as an antagonist to sodium. The more potassium you eat, the more sodium you lose through urine. Potassium also helps ease tension in your blood vessel walls, which helps further lower blood pressure.

Diet Chart for High Blood Pressure | DASH Diet India

The DASH Diet Approach

Hypertension (High Blood Pressure) is a "silent killer" that slowly damages your blood vessels, heart, brain, and kidneys, often without any visible symptoms for years. Because sodium (salt) pulls water into your blood vessels, excess salt dramatically increases the volume of blood, raising the pressure against the vessel walls. recognized standard for treating hypertension is the DASH Diet (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension). The core principle is extremely simple: drastically reduce sodium (salt) intake, while significantly increasing foods rich in Potassium, Calcium, and Magnesium, which help relax blood vessels. We have adapted this medical standard into an easy-to-follow, 7-day Indian meal plan.

Day	Breakfast (8:00 AM)	Lunch (1:00 PM)	Snack (4:30 PM)	Dinner (8:00 PM)
Monday	Oatmeal cooked with skim milk, topped with a sliced banana (high potassium) and almonds.	2 whole wheat rotis (no added salt) + 1 bowl of plain moong dal + 1 cup spinach sabzi.	1 apple or a handful of unsalted walnuts.	Grilled chicken breast (or paneer) with a large side of steamed broccoli and carrots.
Tuesday	2 moong dal chillas + mint chutney + 1 cup green tea.	1 small portion brown rice + 1 bowl rajma + 1 cup lauki (bottle gourd) sabzi + unsalted curd.	1 cup coconut water (excellent for potassium) + roasted flaxseeds.	Light vegetable dalia (broken wheat) cooked with tomatoes, beans, and minimal salt.
Wednesday	Poha made with peanuts, peas, and a squeeze of lemon (use very little salt).	2 rotis + 1 bowl of fish curry (or mushroom sabzi) + large cucumber and tomato salad.	1 orange or sweet lime (citrus fruits help lower BP).	1 bowl of mixed vegetable soup (homemade, not packaged) + grilled tofu.
Thursday	1 bowl of low-fat yogurt topped with fresh berries and chia seeds.	1 portion quinoa + 1 bowl chana masala + beetroot salad.	Half a cup of unsalted roasted chickpeas (bhuna chana).	2 rotis + 1 bowl yellow dal + 1 cup bhindi (okra) sabzi.
Friday	2 boiled eggs (skip the salt sprinkle) + 1 slice of whole wheat toast.	2 bajra rotis + 1 bowl arhar (toor) dal + 1 cup cabbage sabzi.	1 banana (potassium rich) + 1 cup green tea.	Large bowl of mixed salad with lemon and olive oil dressing + grilled chicken chunks.
Saturday	Vegetable upma (using semolina) + 1 glass of fresh orange juice.	1 small portion brown rice + 1 bowl fish curry + side of sautéed green beans.	1 cup buttermilk (made with minimal salt, add roasted cumin instead).	Light moong dal khichdi.
Sunday	Ragi idli with sambar (use minimal salt in preparation).	2 rotis + 1 bowl chicken or paneer tikka masala (homemade to control sodium) + cucumber raita.	Handful of unsalted pumpkin seeds.	Light tomato soup (fresh, not canned) + 1 small portion of grilled fish.

Day

Breakfast (8:00 AM)

Lunch (1:00 PM)

Snack (4:30 PM)

Dinner (8:00 PM)

Monday

Oatmeal cooked with skim milk, topped with a sliced banana (high potassium) and almonds.

2 whole wheat rotis (no added salt) + 1 bowl of plain moong dal + 1 cup spinach sabzi.

1 apple or a handful of unsalted walnuts.

Grilled chicken breast (or paneer) with a large side of steamed broccoli and carrots.

Tuesday

2 moong dal chillas + mint chutney + 1 cup green tea.

1 small portion brown rice + 1 bowl rajma + 1 cup lauki (bottle gourd) sabzi + unsalted curd.

1 cup coconut water (excellent for potassium) + roasted flaxseeds.

Light vegetable dalia (broken wheat) cooked with tomatoes, beans, and minimal salt.

Wednesday

Poha made with peanuts, peas, and a squeeze of lemon (use very little salt).

2 rotis + 1 bowl of fish curry (or mushroom sabzi) + large cucumber and tomato salad.

1 orange or sweet lime (citrus fruits help lower BP).

1 bowl of mixed vegetable soup (homemade, not packaged) + grilled tofu.

Thursday

1 bowl of low-fat yogurt topped with fresh berries and chia seeds.

1 portion quinoa + 1 bowl chana masala + beetroot salad.

Half a cup of unsalted roasted chickpeas (bhuna chana).

2 rotis + 1 bowl yellow dal + 1 cup bhindi (okra) sabzi.

Friday

2 boiled eggs (skip the salt sprinkle) + 1 slice of whole wheat toast.

2 bajra rotis + 1 bowl arhar (toor) dal + 1 cup cabbage sabzi.

1 banana (potassium rich) + 1 cup green tea.

Large bowl of mixed salad with lemon and olive oil dressing + grilled chicken chunks.

Saturday

Vegetable upma (using semolina) + 1 glass of fresh orange juice.

1 small portion brown rice + 1 bowl fish curry + side of sautéed green beans.

1 cup buttermilk (made with minimal salt, add roasted cumin instead).

Light moong dal khichdi.

Sunday

Ragi idli with sambar (use minimal salt in preparation).

2 rotis + 1 bowl chicken or paneer tikka masala (homemade to control sodium) + cucumber raita.

Handful of unsalted pumpkin seeds.

Light tomato soup (fresh, not canned) + 1 small portion of grilled fish.

Key Nutrients to Focus On

Potassium is your best weapon against high BP because it actively helps your body flush out excess sodium through urine. Focus heavily on bananas, spinach, and coconut water. Magnesium and Calcium are also critical as they help your blood vessels relax and dilate, reducing the pressure of the blood flow.

Don't Ignore Consistently High BP

If your blood pressure consistently reads over 130/80 despite making dietary changes and exercising, you are at a high risk for cardiovascular events. Medication is often required to bring it down to safe levels while you work on your lifestyle.

Schedule a consultation with our Cardiology experts at Prakash Hospital for a comprehensive heart health evaluation and personalized BP management plan.