The movie Salt with Angelina Jolie was on TV the other night. Didn’t care for it. Have you seen it?
But it did get me thinking about sodium, however! Do you know how much sodium is right for you? The answer is: it depends.
Are you:
-
African American
-
Over 51 years of age
Or do you have:
- High blood pressure
- Diabetes
- Chronic kidney disease
If yes to any of the above, you should limit sodium intake to no more than 1500 mg per day. Otherwise, the recommendation for adults according to the US Dietary Guidelines is no more than 2300 mg per day. HOWEVER, it’s not a bad idea to limit sodium intake to help prevent the above conditions (and no, cutting back on salt won’t prevent you from becoming over 51 years of age). To give you an idea of how much this is, one teaspoon of salt has about 2,300 milligrams sodium, one-quarter teaspoon has 580 milligrams and a dash of salt has around 150 milligrams. Yeah – it adds up quickly.
So how is one supposed to cut back?
Become a label reader. By law packaged foods have to list sodium content. Just make sure you read how many servings there are in what you’re eating. For instance, if you are going to eat the entire can of soup as a meal and it has 2 servings, you need to double the amount of sodium listed. For example, see the pictures below:
Another thing you can do to cut back on sodium is to cut back on eating out and limit processed foods. Contrary to popular belief, most of a person’s sodium intake is not from them salting their food themselves, it’s from food choices. Restaurants salt the heck out of foods to enhance the flavor of the foods at minimal costs. Or if going out to eat is something you must do, ask for low or no salt options when eating out. Processed foods have a higher sodium content to help increase the shelf life of the food because salt acts as a preservative. Below is a chart that describes where the average American’s sodium intake comes from:
Source: Mattes, RD, Donnelly, D. Relative contributions of dietary sodium sources. Journal of the American College of Nutrition 1991;10(4):383–393.
Also, try flavoring foods with herbs and spices instead of salt.Check out the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute’s list of herbs and spices and what to pair them with - http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/hbp/prevent/sodium/flavor.htm
If you’re more structured and just like to be told what to eat, check out the DASH diet.DASH stands for Dietary Approaches to Stopping Hypertension and a ton of information can be found through the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute here - http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/public/heart/hbp/dash/new_dash.pdf
What are your tips and tricks to helping lower your sodium intake? With one in three American adults struggling with high blood pressure, any info you have would probably be appreciated by a large number of people!
http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/hbp/prevent/sodium/flavor.htm
Relate Posts:
Eat This Not That: When Salt is at Fault
Sodium: How Much is Too Much?
Fast Food Deception