Food and Nutrition: Sodium Facts
By MARY ANN LIENHART CROSS
Extension Educator Purdue Extension
KOSCIUSKO — As I am teaching in the community and answering phone calls and emails I often receive suggestions for my column. This week’s subject of sodium is one of them. The 2015-2020 dietary guidelines for Americans made the following recommendations that Americans consume less than 2,300 milligrams (mg) of sodium per day as part of a healthy eating pattern. Our eating patterns show that the vast majority of adults eat more sodium than they should, an average of more than 3,400 mg each day.
So you may ask if that is a problem, and the answer is that too much sodium is a problem for most Americans. Eating too much sodium puts you at risk for developing serious medical conditions such high blood pressure, heart disease and stroke. I hope this has you thinking what this means for you and your family and what steps you can take to reduce sodium intake.
The first fact that you need to know is that the salt you use at the table is not the biggest sodium contributor in your healthy eating. In fact the majority of the sodium you and your family consume, more than 75 percent, is found in processed food and restaurant meals. Keep in mind that your taste buds can fool you as foods like grains, baked goods and meats may not taste salty, but they add up to major sources of daily sodium because we eat them so often.
Depending on your food choices, it doesn’t take much to consume more sodium than recommended. One slice of bread can contain anywhere from 80 to 230 mg of sodium, and a slice of pizza can contain between 370 and 730 mg. I always encourage you to eat breakfast but you need to know that some cereals contain 150 to 300 mg of sodium before the milk is added. Seasonally many of us are eating more soups. Canned soups and soups served in restaurants can contribute high amounts of sodium. A high sodium group of foods is processed tomato products and salad dressing. They contain salt and other ingredients that contain sodium. Then of course there are snack foods like chips, crackers and pretzels that contain several hundred milligrams of sodium per serving.
Here are some tips for you so you can shop smarter. The more you know about the food you eat, the better the decisions you can make for yourself and your family. Plan to and then eat more fresh vegetables and fruits and low fat dairy foods. Research shows that foods low in sodium and high in potassium can help reduce blood pressure and the risk for other serious conditions. Include apples, oranges, bananas, and dark green vegetable like broccoli and spinach. Low or no fat yogurt, beans other than green beans, and potatoes are also low in sodium and high in potassium. When you purchase frozen or canned make the time to read the label and try to choose no salt or low sodium versions and choose frozen varieties without sauces.
When buying processed foods, read nutrition labels and choose products with less sodium. Look at how many servings are in the package and how many milligrams of sodium are in each. Know that foods that contain 35 mg or less per serving are defined as low sodium. Also read the label on processed meat and poultry, which are often enhanced with salt water or saline. Processed foods and convenience foods may save you time but 99 percent of the time they are not as good for your health. Plan to opt for lower sodium or no salt added crackers, snack foods and cereals.
When you are cooking use lemon juice and salt free herbs and spices such as garlic, pepper, a little hot sauce and horseradish to flavor your food instead of salt, sauces and prepackaged seasoning. As you cook limit added salt and learn to taste food first when cooking as well as at the table.
Many restaurants often put the nutritional information online and some even on the menu, look to see if you can find items that have reduces salt or are marked heart smart. You can also ask not to add salt to your food, and use small amounts of sauces and condiments. Depending on where you are eating and the size of the serving remember that less food means less sodium. For example, ask the server to put half of your meal in a take-out container before it comes to your table, or split an entrée with someone else.
On the subject of eating together and food, you are invited to the Purdue Extension Elkhart County Office holiday open house from 11:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 13, for some holiday refreshments.