Salt Savvy

Article by Amy Bragagnini, MS, RD, CSO
Posted on February 12, 2010

Americans consume entirely too much sodium. The American Heart Association (AHA) suggests that on average we are consuming approximately 3600-4800 mg of salt per day (which is roughly 9-12 grams). Experts suggest that we limit our sodium intake to 2000-2400 mg per day. Americans get the majority of their salt from a variety of sources. Some of the products include: canned foods like tomato sauces/soup/meat, condiments such as soy/teriyaki sauce, mayonnaise, ketchup, pickle relish, and packets of rice/noodles/seasonings. In addition, certain ethnic dishes are notoriously higher in sodium. Asian cuisine (Chinese, East Indian, Thai) made with sauces/gravies are generally high in sodium. Mexican foods such as tacos, burritos, enchiladas and Italian dishes like manicotti, ravioli, and lasagna are also generally high in sodium. Finally, frequenting fast food restaurants can be another way to ingest too much sodium. French fries, hash browns, cheeseburgers and pizza all contribute significant amounts of sodium.

The AHA would like Americans to become aware of what areas in their diet contain high sodium amounts, and then they suggest finding healthy alternatives. For example, a typical TV dinner may contain in upwards of 1,500+ mg of sodium. The AHA suggests that consumers read labels and choose products that use words such as “healthy” on the packaging, as there are rules in how much sodium those products can contain (no more than 480 mg sodium per reference amount). It is helpful to remove the salt shaker from the table and replace with fresh herbs, Mrs. Dash or other salt-free spices, fresh lemon juice etc. Choose fresh produce or those canned or frozen without added salts. Select unsalted nuts, seeds, and lentils. Choose reduced sodium dairy products and limit salty snack foods like tortilla chips, pretzels and potato chips. Finally, when dining out be specific about your food preparation and ask that your meals be prepared without added salt and with low sodium products when available.