Take charge of reducing sodium in your diet

Michael Caldwell For the Poughkeepsie Journal

The typical American diet contains way too much salt, specifically, sodium. All of us should reduce our daily intake with rare exceptions.

While our bodies need an adequate balance of salt and water each day, too much salt can cause us to hold on to too much water. You know that swollen, bloated feeling and appearance you have the day after eating a lot of chips, crackers or pretzels? All of that extra fluid not only looks and feels bad; it is also creating a burden for your heart and blood vessels. This can lead to high blood pressure, accelerating damage to your heart, kidneys and other vital organs.

If you think all you have to do is lock up the saltshaker, you'd be wrong. UpToDate.com tells us that the main source of sodium in our diet is the salt added to packaged and processed foods, and in foods from restaurants. Processed foods include prepared frozen meals, canned foods, pickled foods, snack foods, lunch meats, cheese, condiments, sauces, dressings, breads, cereals and soda (including diet soda), just to name a few. Sodium found in processed food accounts for about 80 percent of a person's daily sodium intake in a typical Western diet, (only about 10 percent is naturally occurring in food and just 10 percent from adding salt to food).

The American Heart Association (AHA) notes that the average American consumes about 3,600 mg/day of sodium. That is over 10 times the amount our body really needs each day. One teaspoon of salt has about 2,300 mg of sodium; so most Americans are eating over one and one-half teaspoons of sodium every day! The AHA suggests we limit our sodium intake to just 1,500 mg/day, essentially encouraging us to cut it in half from our current diets.

Keep better track of sodium as you age

As we age, it is common for elevated blood pressure to become more of a concern.

High blood pressure affects approximately one in three U.S. adults or 75 million people. An additional 78 million adults suffer from slightly elevated blood pressure, which can turn into high blood pressure. African Americans, people over age 51 and anyone with known high blood pressure, diabetes or chronic kidney disease need to be extra careful.

So what can you do now to reduce salt in your diet?

Prepare your own food when you can: Don't salt foods before or during cooking, and limit saltshaker use at the table. When dining out, ask to see the restaurant's nutrition information and choose a lower-sodium option. Ask for your meal to be prepared without salt and request that sauces and salad dressings be served "on the side," then use less of them.

Add flavor without adding sodium: Use herbs and spices instead of salt to add flavor to your foods. Try rosemary, oregano, basil, curry powder, cayenne pepper, ginger, fresh garlic or garlic powder (not garlic salt), black or red pepper, vinegar or lemon juice, and no-salt seasoning blends.

Get fresh when you can: Buy fresh or frozen (not processed) poultry, pork and lean meat rather than canned, smoked or processed meats, such as luncheon meats, sausages and corned beef. Fresh foods are generally lower in sodium. Also, check the package on fresh meat and poultry to see if salt water or saline has been added.

Watch your veggies: Buy fresh, frozen (without sauce), or low-sodium or no-salt-added canned vegetables.

Examine your dairy products: Choose fat-free or low-fat milk and milk products, such as milk, yogurt, cheese and fortified soy beverages (often called soymilk) in place of processed cheese products and spreads, which are higher in sodium.

"Unsalt" your snacks: Choose unsalted nuts and seeds, and snack products such as chips and pretzels that are marked "low sodium" or "no-salt-added" — or have a carrot or celery stick instead.

Consider your condiments: Sodium in soy sauce, ketchup, salad dressings, and seasoning packets can add up. Choose light or reduced sodium soy sauce and no-salt-added ketchup, add oil and vinegar to a salad rather than bottled salad dressings and use only a small amount of seasoning from flavoring packets instead of the entire packet.

Get to know the 'Nutrition Facts Label': The Food & Drug Administration (FDA) provides us with an important tool to educate us about the foods we purchase. When comparing food products, the FDA suggests to "check the label." Learn more at: www.fda.gov/Food/IngredientsPackagingLabeling/LabelingNutrition/ucm274593.htm Make a trip to the grocery store a time to teach your children how to use the label and to start making better food decisions. If you give them the information and a challenge, they may feel empowered to make good choices even when you're not looking.

Ways to lower sodium intake

The best way to reduce sodium is to avoid prepackaged, processed and fast foods, which tend to be high in sodium. Here are a few suggestions on what to limit:

Salted snacks; fish that's frozen, pre-breaded, pre-fried or smoked; also some fish that's canned in oil or brine, such as tuna, sardines or shellfish; ham, bacon, corned beef, luncheon meats, sausages and hot dogs; canned foods and juices containing salt; commercially made main dishes, such as hash, meat pies and frozen dinners with more than 700 mg of sodium per serving; cheeses and buttermilk; seasoned salts, meat tenderizers and MSG; ketchup, mayonnaise, sauces and salad dressings

Tips for eating out

Controlling your sodium intake doesn't mean spoiling the pleasure of eating out. But order carefully. Consider these tips for meals away from home:

•Select fresh greens and fruits when available

•Be specific about what you want and how you want your food prepared. Request your dish be prepared without added salt

•Remember portion control. When you know you're going to eat something that's higher in sodium, eat less

Potassium has 'better reputation'

Most of the salt in our diet consists of sodium chloride (also known as NaCl). Potassium is also a salt that has a much better reputation. The FDA noted that "research shows that eating foods high in potassium can lower blood pressure by reducing the adverse effects of sodium on blood pressure. Examples of foods rich in potassium include potatoes, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, spinach, apricots, bananas, beans, low-fat or non-fat milk and yogurt, and juices (prune, carrot, tomato and orange)."

Sodium consumption numbers

Americans' sodium intake breaks down like this:

•77 percent from packaged and restaurant food

•12 percent is naturally occurring in foods

•11 percent from adding salt to food while cooking or at the table

Food choices matter

More than 40 percent of the sodium consumed by Americans comes from the following 10 types of foods:

Breads and rolls; old cuts and cured meats (such as deli or packaged ham or turkey); pizza; fresh and processed poultry; soups; sandwiches (such as hot dogs, hamburgers and submarine sandwiches); cheese (natural and processed); mixed pasta dishes (such as lasagna, spaghetti with meat sauce and pasta salad); mixed meat dishes (such as meatloaf with tomato sauce, beef stew and chili); snacks (such as chips, pretzels, popcorn, and crackers)

Sources:

American Heart Association; FDA

Dr. Michael Caldwell is an Executive Health Consultant and is the former Dutchess County Commissioner of Health. Send comments to healthchief@yahoo.comTwitter: @healthchief

This article was originally published by the Poughkeepsie Journal on April 11, 2015. To read the original article, click here: https://www.poughkeepsiejournal.com/story/life/2015/04/10/sodium-diet/25567251/