Do You Know Where Salt Is Hiding in Your Food?
Experts recommend no more than 2,300 mg of sodium a day, but most Americans average of about 3,400 milligrams. Learn about how salt may be hidden in your food, even in foods that don’t taste salty.
Contributor: George Thomas, MD
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Studies show that cutting down on sodium in your diet can lower blood pressure — reducing your risk of stroke, heart failure and other health problems.
Experts say most people should consume less than 2,300 mg of sodium each day. That’s one teaspoon. People with certain medical conditions should consume even less. Recently, the Food and Drug Administration proposed new guidelines to help get people’s daily salt intake to this level over the next decade from the current average of about 3,400 milligrams — or 48 percent more than the recommended daily limit.
Sea salt is generally marketed as a “natural” and “healthier” alternative.
The main differences between sea salt and table salt are in taste, texture and processing. Sea salt has a stronger flavor. However, what people should remember is that both sea salt and table salt have the same amount of sodium by weight.
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It does help to avoid adding salt to your food at the table, but unfortunately, a major part of the sodium in American diets — almost 80 percent — comes from processed and packaged foods. These foods can be high in sodium even if they don’t taste salty.
Processed foods include:
Checking labels is the only way to know how much sodium is in your food. If you buy packaged or processed foods, choose foods that are labeled “sodium-free” or “very low sodium.”
Also, remember that the amount of sodium listed on the ingredient label references a particular serving size. If you eat more than the listed serving size, you’ll consume more sodium.
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The Centers for Disease Control has a list of six popular foods with high sodium content dubbed the “Salty Six”:
If you have high blood pressure, the DASH diet (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) is a low-sodium intervention. All the foods you would eat are low in fat.
The diet calls for four to five servings of fruit, four to five servings of vegetables, and two to three servings of low-fat dairy. It’s also rich in whole grains, fish, poultry, beans, seeds, and nuts – while also limiting sugar and red meats.
At first, foods may not taste as good without sodium. But you will adjust over time. Natural substitutes that taste great include lemon, ginger, curry, dried herbs (such as bay leaves, basil and rosemary), onion, garlic and dry mustard. You might also use salt substitutes, but check with your doctor first.