A Year Later...

Now, about a year after I got off of atenolol, I'm maintaining my blood pressure at around 130/90, taking just 1/2 a HCZ pill per day. Yes, I was off of both meds for about 6 months, but my Dr. thought it would be good to get back on a minimal dose since my BP did go up some (but still within the normal range). I started a new job a few months ago, and I've been slacking some on the food I eat for lunch out. I'm still eating low sodium dinners (i.e. same cereal and/or no or little-salt-added cooking), so it seems to be balancing out. One surprising change at my last check-up was my cholesterol, which was at 210 2 years ago (when my BP was off the charts), was down to 170. Guess it was a positive by-product of my change in diet.

I've found that Swiss cheese (60-90 mg sodium/serving) is a much lower sodium alternative to cheddar or jack cheese (usually 170-190 mg sodium/serving). I like to melt a slice on a piece of toast to eat with my cereal. I also found Heinz No Salt Added Ketchup, which I had never seen before. Not as tasty as the regular version, but not too bad. Works well on no-salt-added turkey swiss burgers!

It's amazing how all of these little things that you can watch can really make a different in the long-run.