Intake For A Low-sodium Diet

Nearly 70 percent of Americans consume too much salt each day, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Although the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend a maximum intake of 2,300 mg of sodium each day, the CDC estimates that nearly 70 percent of the adult population should limit sodium intake to 1,500 mg per day because of advanced age, increased risk for serious health problems or the presence of health problems.

Significance

The University of Illinois Extension reports that most people consume 2,300 to 6,900 mg of sodium per day -- up to three times the amount recommended. The body uses sodium to maintain a normal amount of fluid in the circulatory system. When you consume too much sodium, your body retains water, increasing the volume of your blood. This makes the heart work harder to pump the blood throughout your body. When your heart works too hard, you have a higher risk of heart attack, stroke, heart disease and high-blood pressure.

Considerations

Keeping your sodium intake under 1,500 mg per day requires avoiding foods with very high levels of sodium. Just one 3.5-oz. serving of Canadian bacon, for example, has 2,500 mg of sodium. Eating this food would cause you to exceed your maximum sodium intake for an entire day. Low-fat frozen meals seem like a good idea for those trying to lose weight, but manufacturers use sodium as a flavoring agent and preservative. Processed foods, canned foods, luncheon meat, fast food and snack foods also have high levels of sodium.

Fresh vs. Processed

Although some fresh foods naturally contain low levels of sodium, processing these foods increases the sodium content substantially. Seven slices of cucumber have just 2 mg of sodium. When a manufacturer processes cucumbers into dill pickles, the sodium content increases to 928 mg. One tomato has 14 mg of sodium, but a cup of tomato sauce has 1,489 mg of sodium -- almost an entire day's worth for someone following a low-sodium diet.

Low-Sodium Flavor

One tsp. of table salt has 2,000 mg of sodium, so you should find ways to prepare your foods without adding extra salt. Several herbs and seasonings have very little or no sodium, making it easy to add flavor. Basil, bay leaf, dill weed, sage and tarragon complement fish. Add flavor to beef with marjoram, rosemary and thyme. Chives, garlic, onion and lemon add flavor to potato dishes, salad dressing, pasta and salads.

Shopping Tips

Learning how to read food labels will also help you reduce your daily sodium intake. Foods marked sodium-free or salt-free have fewer than 5 mg of sodium per serving. Low-sodium foods have 140 mg of sodium or less per serving. Foods advertised as having reduced sodium have at least 25 percent less sodium than the original product. If a serving of chicken noodle soup has 600 mg of sodium, its reduced-sodium counterpart has 450 mg of sodium or less.