Pass the Salt…but not on Your Food

What is sodium to my body?

• Sodium is a mineral that’s essential for life. It’s regulated in the body by your kidneys, and it helps control your body’s fluid balance. It also helps send nerve impulses and affects muscle function.

Why is there so much sodium in the food supply?

• Sodium plays many roles in food. Adding flavor is probably its most well-known function.
• Used as a preservative to keep food safe, or to enhance the colorof food or give it a firmer texture. For example, sodium in the form of baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) is used to help breadand other baked goods rise.
• Even though sodium plays a key role in many foods, more salt is often added than is necessary.

What are common sodium sources?

• Overall, more than 75 percent of the sodium we eat comes from processed, prepackaged, 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.

What are the benefits of cutting down on sodium?

• One estimate suggested that if Americans moved to an average intake of 1,500 mg/day sodium, it could result in a 25.6 percent overall decrease in blood pressure and an estimated $26.2billion in health care savings.
• Another estimate projected that achieving this goal would reduce deaths from cardiovascular disease by anywhere from 500,000 to nearly 1.2 million over the next 10 years.

What can I do to cut back on Sodium?

• Choose condiments carefully. For example, soy sauce, bottled salad dressings, dips, ketchup, jarred salsas, capers, mustard, pickles, olives and relish can be sky-high in sodium.
• Look for a reduced or lower-sodium version.Choose canned vegetables labeled “no salt added” and frozen vegetables without salty sauces.
• When you add these to a casserole, soup, or other mixed dish, therewill be so many other ingredients involved that you won’t miss the salt.

What about salt substitutes?

• There are many salt substitutes on the market for you to try. Some of them replace some or all of the sodium with potassium.
• Most people can use these products freely, unless you havecertain medical conditions (like kidney disease) are taking certain medications that have implications for how much potassium you should eat.
• Talk with your healthcare professional about whether a salt substitute is right for you.