There’s been a huge movement in recent years to cut down on sodium intake, as it’s been blamed for causing high blood pressure and a variety of other health issues. But really, only about 10% of people with high blood pressure are salt sensitive, and most people with healthy kidneys do a pretty darn good job of regulating sodium balance.
For the majority of people, today's sodium intake is tomorrow's output. If you’re not eating enough sodium your kidneys will work to retain what you are getting, and if you’re eating too much sodium your kidneys will excrete more of it into your urine.
Although sodium intake is less of a problem than people think, potassium intake is a pretty big issue when it comes to maintaining appropriate sodium levels. Potassium can increase the excretion of sodium in the kidneys, so the ratio of sodium to potassium is surprisingly important in regulating appropriate sodium levels.
Americans tend to fall short of their potassium needs, which isn’t surprising since the requirement is fairly high and it’s primarily found in fruits and vegetables (which most people don’t eat enough of). So, if you’re concerned about sodium retention and high blood pressure, you’d be wise to focus on increasing your potassium intake by consuming more fruits, vegetables, potatoes, avocado, and other potassium-rich foods. This may be one major reason why the DASH diet has been found to be so effective for lowering high blood pressure.