Food manufacturers use salt generously, making it your job to keep your sodium consumption in check. However, with an abundance of descriptors such as "low salt," "sodium-free" and "no salt added," it can be difficult to make the healthiest selections. The Nutrition Facts panel on food packaging is the best resource to find out how much salt your food contains.
Sodium Basics
Sodium is an essential nutrient your body needs to maintain the right fluid balance, help your muscles contract and relax and dispatch nerve impulses. The sodium you don't use is filtered out by your kidneys. However, when you consume excessive amounts of sodium, your blood volume increases, making your heart work harder. Sodium-sensitive individuals retain more fluid, which can cause high blood pressure. High blood pressure can lead to heart disease, heart failure, stroke and kidney disease.
Low Salt or No Salt?
If you're on a restricted sodium diet, interpreting the marketing language on food labels can be confusing. Read the Nutrition Facts panel to see how many servings are in the can or package -- many foods contain more than one serving, and consuming more than the recommended amount can put you over your sodium limit. According to MayoClinic.com, food products labeled "low salt" or "low sodium" means that each serving of the food contains 140 mg of sodium or less. A "very low sodium" label, on the other hand, indicates that one serving of the food has 35 mg of sodium or less. Foods marketed as "no salt added" or "unsalted" indicate that the manufacturer didn't add salt to the food during processing. MayoClinic.com cautions you that even these foods may still contain a lot of natural salt.
More Label Confusion
Food products labeled "salt-free" may be your best bet -- a serving of these foods contain less than 5 mg of sodium. On the higher end of the sodium spectrum may include "reduced sodium/salt" foods, which have 25 percent less salt than their regular equivalents. Foods with "light in sodium" on the label indicate that the salt content has been decreased by at least 50 percent. Reduced sodium foods can still have a lot of salt, says MayoClinic.com, which goes on to note that a cup of regular chicken noodle soup may have 1,100 mg sodium per cup, compared with the 820 mg in reduced sodium soup. Ultimately, the best way to determine how much salt is in your food is to defer to the Nutritional Facts label, which tells you how many milligrams of sodium is in your food per serving. According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, sodium, total fat and cholesterol are nutrients you want to limit.
Limiting Your Intake
The American Heart Association urges Americans to reduce their sodium consumption, recommending no more than 1,500 mg a day, which is between 1/2 and 3/4 tsp. of salt. Curbing your salt intake may be difficult, considering that many packaged food items have more than this amount in a single serving. According to the Center for Science in the Public Interest, a consumer watchdog organization, one popular frozen food brand sells a carved turkey dinner and fried chicken dinner than give you more than 1,600 mg of sodium per serving. A package of ramen noodles can contain as much as 1,120 mg of sodium. An easy way to find out if your food is sodium-heavy is simply to glance at the Nutritional Facts panel. If the food gives you 5 percent or less of your DV for sodium per serving, it's good to go. If the food gives you 20 percent of more of your DV, your selection is high in salt.
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