TIPS TO CUT BACK ON SODIUM

It’s clear that Americans have a taste for salt, but a diet high in salt (sodium chloride) contributes to water retention, high blood pressure, stroke, and kidney disease. The average American consumes about three to four times the recommended amount of sodium. For health, everyone, including kids, should reduce their sodium intake to less than 2,300 mg of sodium a day (about 1 teaspoon of salt). If you have heart health risk factors, aim to consume less than 1500 mg of sodium each day.  This means getting less than 2/3 of a teaspoon of salt from all dietary sources. 

Even if you do not add salt while cooking or do not use the salt shaker at the table, you are probably eating too much sodium. That is because we eat packaged foods, like deli meats, frozen dinners, boxed noodle and rice dishes, canned soups, canned vegetables, bottled dressings & sauces, breakfast cereals, bread, and snack foods. Approximately 75% of our intake of sodium is derived from salt added by manufacturers to food products long before they appear on our tables. Even some foods that do not taste salty are high in sodium.  For example, bread is the leading source of salt in most American’s diets but you don’t necessarily taste all that sodium because it’s “baked in” rather than on the surface of the food like with chips where the salty taste is more distinct. 

10 Tips to Cut Back on Sodium in Your Diet:

·         Think fresh - Most of the sodium Americans eat is found in processed foods. Choose highly processed foods less often and in smaller portions—especially cheesy foods, such as pizza; cured meats, such as bacon, sausage, hot dogs, and deli/luncheon meats; and ready-to-eat foods, like canned chili, ravioli, and soups. Fresh foods usually have little or no added sodium, allowing you to better regulate sodium intake.

·         Enjoy home-prepared foods - Cook more often at home—where you are in control of what’s in your food. Foods prepared in restaurants and fast food locations are often very high in sodium with many dishes having more than a day’s worth of sodium!

·         Fill up on veggies and fruits—they are naturally low in sodium - Eat plenty of vegetables and fruits—fresh or frozen or canned with no sodium added.  Aim to eat a vegetable or fruit at every meal.  Fresh fruits and vegetables are high in potassium which helps to somewhat counteract the increases in blood pressure caused by sodium.

·         Choose dairy and protein foods that are lower in sodium - Choose more fat-free or low-fat milk and yogurt in place of cheese, which is higher in sodium. Choose fresh beef, pork, poultry, and seafood, rather than those with salt added. Deli or luncheon meats, sausages, and canned products like corned beef and fish like sardines are high in sodium.  Look for canned tuna without added sodium. Choose unsalted nuts, seeds, and nut butters like peanut butter.

·         Adjust your taste buds - Cut back on salt little by little—and pay attention to the natural tastes of various foods. Your taste for salt will lessen over time.

·         Skip the salt shaker - Skip adding salt when cooking. Keep salt off the kitchen counter and the dinner table. Use spices, herbs, garlic, vinegar, and lemon juice to season foods or use no-salt seasoning mixes. Try black or red pepper, basil, curry, ginger, rosemary, dill, and many others to add flavor to dishes.

·         Read the label - Read the Nutrition Facts label to find packaged and canned foods lower in sodium. These list the amount of sodium in one serving of the food.  The % Daily Value (%DV) is the percentage of the daily sodium limit in one serving of the food.  If the %DV is less than 10% than the food is not so high in sodium but if it is 25% or more, try to choose a lower sodium option.

·         Ask for low-sodium foods when you eat out – Restaurants’ foods are usually loaded with sodium but often they can prepare dishes with less added sodium at your request and will serve sauces and salad dressings on the side so you can use less.

·         Pay attention to condiments - Foods like soy sauce, ketchup, pickles, olives, salad dressings, and seasoning packets are high in sodium. Choose low-sodium soy sauce and ketchup. Have carrot or celery sticks instead of olives or pickles, or if you are using these for salads replace them with low-sodium options such as unsalted roasted red peppers, unsalted sun-dried tomatoes, horseradish, and more lemon/vinegar.  Mix up dressings at home or dilute store bought ones with added lemon/vinegar to control the sodium.  Use only a sprinkling of flavoring packets instead of the entire packet.

·         Boost your potassium intake - Choose foods rich potassium, by emphasizing fruits, vegetables, nuts, beans, whole grains, and low-fat/non-fat dairy in your diet.  Intake of foods rich in potassium can help to counteract the effect that sodium has on blood pressure. Some of the fruits and vegetables highest in potassium include oranges, melons, bananas, kiwis, potatoes, yams, tomatoes, spinach, beans, and artichokes.