Busting the Myths on the Silent Killer in Your Diet: Health Alliance Plan Experts Look at Salt, the Fact and Fiction, During National Kidney Month

Detroit (March 21, 2013) – The myths surrounding salt, high blood pressure, heart disease and kidney disease have many of us scratching our heads. How much is too much? If I don’t have high blood pressure, why worry about sodium? Low-sodium cooking tastes bland, right? If I just cut out table salt, will I lower my blood pressure? These are just some of the common questions so many people struggle with, and during March – designated both National Kidney Month and National Nutrition Month - Health Alliance Plan (HAP) experts can provide the answers.

Along with the newly launched HAP Speakers Bureau, freely offering health experts to the community to speak on issues such as kidney disease, heart health, healthy eating, low-sodium diets, weight management and workplace wellness, HAP is offering a number of health and wellness resources to members and the community. These include:

• A Taste of Health, low-sodium cooking classes for older members; the first will be held on March 27.
• Free Enhance Fitness classes for older adults in the community in partnership with the National Kidney Foundation of Michigan
• Free after-school cooking classes for children aged 8-14 years called Ready, Set, Cook
• Cook eKitchen™, a free healthy cooking video website for children and their families, launched last year, and available to the entire community

“National Nutrition Month and National Kidney Month are good reminders to take steps today that can help prevent serious diseases in the future,” saidTerri Kachadurian, Director, Worksite Wellness and Member Engagement Programs at HAP. “Healthy choices, like passing on processed foods that are packed with sodium, can reduce our risk of high blood pressure and diabetes – the two most important risk factors for kidney disease.”

Around 26 million people in the United States have chronic kidney disease and of that number, 940,000 live in Michigan.  According to the National Kidney Foundation of Michigan, more than 70% of all kidney failure caused by diabetes or high blood pressure could be prevented or delayed by eating healthy, getting exercise, and taking the right medications.  African Americans and Hispanics are particularly at risk of kidney disease; of the more than 80,000 people on the national waiting list for a kidney transplant, 35 percent are African-American and nearly 19 percent are Hispanic, although respectively they make up only 13 percent and 16 percent of the U.S. population.

Unfortunately, for some people, myths get in the way of enjoying the benefits of a lower sodium diet, said Kachadurian, who has master’s degrees in Human Nutrition and Exercise Science from the University of Michigan. “Cutting down on salt in your cooking doesn’t have to mean giving up flavor. By replacing salt with other seasonings and herbs, your dishes will go from bland to delicious.”

Kachadurian also cautions that sprinkling less salt on your food at the table isn’t enough to reduce your sodium intake to a healthy level. “Keeping a close eye on processed foods in your diet is very important, too.  Some foods such as canned soups and fast food have a very high salt content.”

More information on these HAP programs:

Request a HAP health and wellness speaker for your event at www.hap.org/speakers

A full schedule of Enhance Fitness classes is available at:  www.hap.org/health/enhance_fitness.php

A video on Ready, Set, Cook can be accessed at: www.hap.org/health/programs/ready_set_cook/index.php

Children – and their parents – can access healthy recipes with videos at: www.hap.org/cookekitchen

The Science Behind Sodium and High Blood Pressure: When sodium levels are high, kidneys normally excrete excess sodium in the urine, but if the kidneys are not functioning optimally, sodium then builds up in the blood, attracts and holds water. This leads to increased blood volume and higher blood pressure, leading to continued kidney damage and disease of the heart and circulatory system.

About Health Alliance Plan
Health Alliance Plan (HAP) is a Michigan-based, nonprofit health plan that provides health coverage to more than 660,000 members and companies of all sizes. For more than 50 years, HAP has partnered with leading doctors and hospitals, employers and community organizations to improve the health and well-being of the lives we touch. HAP offers a product portfolio with six distinct product lines: Group Insured Commercial, Individual, Medicare, Medicaid, Self-Funded and Network Leasing. HAP excels in delivering award-winning preventive services, disease management and wellness programs, and personalized customer service. The National Committee for Quality Assurance awarded HAP’s commercial HMO and HAP Senior Plus Excellent Accreditation.