Sodium. What is it? Is it good for you? Why is the FDA setting guidelines? Why is it important? What are the benefits of reduced sodium intake? How do I reduce sodium in my diet?
All of those are great questions. Let’s take a closer look at each one.
What is sodium? Dictionary.com defines sodium as, “a soft, silver-white, metallic element used in the synthesis of” . . . blah, blah, blah – too technical for me.
We usually refer to it as “salt”. Salt is the most common form of sodium. Technically, there is a difference. Sodium comes in several forms and is found naturally in many of the foods we eat but for most of us – salt. I can hear some of you now, “Who cares? I don’t even put that much salt on my food!” Please continue reading and I’ll make an attempt to show you why you should care.
Is sodium good or bad for you? The answer is yes to both. First, sodium is needed by your body but most likely in lesser amounts than you are consuming currently (more on that later). This article says that, “The body uses sodium to control blood pressure and blood volume. Your body also needs sodium for your muscles and nerves to work properly.” But you can cause your body damage by consuming too much. Too much sodium can cause an increase in blood pressure which can lead to possibly developing heart disease or having a stroke. Been there, done that (heart attack in 2011). Now, who else wants to sign up for that?
If you haven’t heard in the news recently, the FDA is proposing voluntary guidelines for the food industry to reduce salt in the American food supply. You can read more here. Why are they doing that and why is that a good thing? Great question. The American Heart Association says that we consume, on average, 3400mg of sodium per day. We don’t need that much for our bodies to function normally. Major health organizations recommend that we cut back on sodium.
Ok, fine. So I may be consuming too much sodium but how much should I limit myself to? The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and the American Diabetes Association recommend between 1500 and 2300mg. The USDA says 2300mg and the American Heart Association recommends the lowest amount at 1500mg. For those of you that really need to visualize, 2300mg is about 1 teaspoon and 1500mg is about 3/4 teaspoon.
So why is the FDA sodium reduction important? For those of you that think you really don’t use that much salt remember from earlier that sodium is what we are actually talking about here. Not just salt. Sodium can be hidden in foods. These are the most common sources of sodium: table salt, bakin g soda, baking powder and MSG (see my other article on MSG, or monosodium glutamate). The AHA has their handy chart here that shows their picks for the highest sodium foods. You can find another great list of high sodium foods here.
Additionly, the AHA says here that, “About 77% of the sodium we consume comes from packaged, prepared and restaurant foods. The rest of the sodium in our diets occurs naturally in food (about 12 percent) or is added by us when we’re cooking food or sitting down to eat. The latter only makes up only about 10 percent of our total sodium intake, so even if you never use the salt shaker, you’re probably getting too much sodium.” Because most of the sodium we eat is in our food before we buy it, it makes it hard for people to limit how much sodium they are eating. What the FDA proposal is attempting to do is to put the power back in your hands and help reduce the salt consumption to the 2300mg mark for the average person. The idea is to get the food industry to reduce the amounts of sodium used in their products.
Think it is too difficult to reduce your use? Think about this. An NPR article says, “Slashing the average sodium intake by just 400 mg per day could potentially prevent as many as 28,000 deaths annually, according to an op-ed by CDC Director Thomas Frieden and colleagues that was published Wednesday in The New England Journal of Medicine.” This is in addition to the benefits your kidneys will thank you for.
Hopefully you are now convinced that you to at least look at the benefits to lowering your sodium intake. At least make an attempt to know how much and maybe even reduce how much you are consuming. But now what? How do I do it, put it into practice? This may seem a bit overwhelming to some but there are some simple things you can do. First of all, remember this: your body will adjust to the new tastes after some time. One of the best things to do is to limit or reduce consuming processed foods. Since these are the biggest culprits in providing higher levels of sodium try to avoid them. Eat more fresh fruits and vegetables. You can also help the craving by using and experimenting with other spices and flavorings. Eat out less and read labels. Dining out? You can request less salt in preparation and can usually look up nutritional information on certain dishes from most of the larger chain restaurants. This site here along with this site offer some good suggestions as well. Here is another great resource for using common herbs and spices to help reduce the need for salt.
Still feeling even a bit overwhelmed? You can always get in touch with me here on this site and I will gladly attempt to make navigating these salty waters easier for you. After all, that is my job as a Certified Health Coach!