Sodium in an essential nutrient, but over-consumption can lead to high blood pressure or hypertension. A common ingredient in many convenience and pre-prepared foods, sodium is more prevalent than ever in the American diet. A few guidelines for your diet can help you avoid high sodium foods and find alternatives to excess salt in cooking.
What is Sodium?
Sodium is a vital mineral in your body that maintains fluid pressure, allows nerves to send signal and muscles to contract. Rare in nature, many animals will consume clay to acquire vital minerals and humans instincts tell you to eat salt when you find it.
Modernization has made sodium infinitely more available. Usually found as sodium chloride in table salt, sodium is paired with many other molecules used to preserve and enhance processed foods.
Excess Sodium and Health
According to MayoClinic.com, excess sodium consumption leads to high blood pressure. Sodium has a positive charge that attracts water. This causes blood volume and pressure to increase, causing your heart to work harder to pump blood. High blood pressure or hypertension leads to an increased risk of heart attack or stroke.
Daily Sodium Intake
According to MayoClinic.com, only 23 percent of sodium in the U.S. diet comes from food or sodium added to food during cooking or eating. The other 77 percent comes from salt added during processing and preservation of foods. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recommends that healthy individuals consume no more than 2,300 mg of sodium a day, or about a teaspoon. Those sensitive to sodium, with hypertension, of African descent or the middle-aged and elderly are at higher risk and should consume no more than 1,500 mg of sodium per day.
Sodium in Foods
Reading product labels can be time-consuming or confusing, but reading these is the best way to avoid high-sodium foods. Seeks out foods labels reading "sodium-free," containing less than 5 mg per serving, "very low sodium," containing less than 35 mg per serving, and "low sodium," containing less than 140 mg per serving. Be sure to check the serving size.
Labels stating "reduced sodium," "light in sodium," and "no salt added" have reduced sodium compared with the regular product, but may still be very high in sodium. MayoClinic.com recommends avoiding foods higher than 200 mg of sodium per serving.
Reducing Sodium Intake
The best way to reduce sodium intake is to eat more fresh foods instead of processed foods. Learn to cook fresh vegetables rather than buying canned ones. Reduce the amount of salt and salty condiments, such as soy sauce, from your cooking. Experiment with herbs and spices to find a taste that you like without excess salt. Salt substitutes may be used but should be used sparingly.
Caution
The recommendations given for sodium in this article are based on health individuals in high and low risk groups. Ask your doctor to recommend the healthy daily sodium intake for you based on your health and current medications.
Member Comments