Most people in the United States consume two to three times their recommended daily amount of salt unknowingly, says Mayo Clinic's Dr. Gary Schwartz, a hypertension specialist. The reason is that most of the salt you eat doesn't come from your saltshaker---it's in the processed and canned foods you buy at the market and the food you eat at restaurants. Planning low-salt meal plans involves studying nutrition facts labels on foods you buy and interpreting other sodium terms on the packaging.
Salt and Sodium
Salt, or sodium chloride, is the most common form of sodium. However, sodium is added to many foods you purchase at the market and goes by other names in the product's list of ingredients, such as sodium nitrite, sodium saccharin, monosodium glutamate, baking soda, sodium bicarbonate and sodium benzoate. According to MayoClinic.com, the primary sources of sodium in the average American diet come from processed and prepared foods, the salt you add when cooking and eating your food, and the salt that naturally occurs in food. You get 77 percent of your salt from prepared and processed food compared with the 5 percent you get from adding it during the preparation process.
Nutrition Facts Labels
Because you get the most sodium from prepared and purchased foods, reading food labels is imperative when planning a low-salt diet. The nutrition facts panel on the packaging gives you all the information you need to know about the food, such as how many servings are in the can or box, the serving size, calories per serving, and a list of nutrients. These include total fat; total carbohydrate; cholesterol; protein; key vitamins and minerals; and of course, sodium, which is listed in both milligrams and percentage of your daily value, or DV. Serving size deserves close attention. For example, a half cup of condensed Campbell's 25 Percent Less Sodium Chicken Noodle Soup contains 660mg of sodium. Double the serving size, and you've just consumed 1,320 mg of sodium.
Product Labeling
MayoClinic.com cautions that other product labeling may fool you into thinking that a food is less salty than it truly is. Other terms you might see on the packing include the following: "Sodium free" means that a serving contains less than 5mg of sodium. "Very low sodium" means that a serving contains 35mg of sodium or less. "Low sodium" foods contain 140mg of sodium or less per serving. Foods labeled "unsalted," "no salt added" and "without added salt" indicate that the only sodium comes from the food's natural content. "Reduced sodium" foods like the Campbell's soup above contain 25 percent less sodium, but these still contain a substantial amount of salt per serving. MayoClinic.com advises choosing foods that contain no more than 200mg of sodium per serving.
Foods to Avoid
According to the American Heart Association, or AHA, the major sources of added salt come from tomato sauce; canned soups; and other processed foods, condiments and prepared mixes. If painstakingly poring over product labels doesn't sound appealing, MayoClinic.com indicates that the best way to reduce the salt in your diet is to eat more fresh foods and fewer foods that are canned or processed. However, if you do purchase the latter, choose foods with "no salt added" listed on the label.
Sodium Recommendations
The 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans states that healthy adults can consume up to 2,300mg of sodium each day. According to MayoClinic.com, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advises eating no more than 1,500mg of sodium per day---the same amount recommended by the AHA. People who should restrict their sodium intake to no more than 1,500mg daily include those who are middle age and older; African Americans; and individuals with diabetes, kidney disease and high blood pressure. MayoClinic.com points out that these figures are the upper limit of what's acceptable; ideally, you should strive to consume even less sodium.
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