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| Your Life- Your Health & Sodium |
Here are a few facts about sodium :
1. More than 75 percent of the sodium in the average American diet comes from
salt added to processed foods. Even if you put down the salt shaker and opt for an alternative you are probably still getting way to much sodium.
2. Sodium is in canned soups, salad dressings, and even products that don’t think of when you think of ‘salty’ foods, such as pasta, bread and cereals.
It’s no wonder most Americans gets more than 3,400 milligrams of sodium per day. That’s more than double the American Heart Association’s recommended limit of 1,500.
The top foods that add the most sodium may be surprising.
- Bread
- Pizza
- cold cuts
- soup
- sandwiches
Here is a list of Lower Sodium Foods:
- Fresh meat & poultry
- Unsalted crackers
- Fresh & frozen vegetables
- Fresh milk
- Unsalted popcorn
- “No salt added instant, cooked & dry cereal
- Fresh, canned & frozen fruit
- Low sodium milk
- Homemade soup
- Instant rice
- Sour cream
- Unsalted pretzels & chips
- Whipping cream
- Mayonnaise
- Hard candy
- Vinegar
- Herbs & spices
- Sugar
- Salt substitutes
- poultry
How much sodium should you eat?
For optimal heart-health, the American Heart Association recommends people eat no more than 1,500 milligrams of sodium per day to reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke.
Is there such a thing as eating too little sodium?
You actually need less than 500 milligrams per day to function properly.
What you see about sodium on food packages:
- Sodium-free – Less than 5 milligrams of sodium per serving and contains no sodium chloride
- Very low sodium – 35 milligrams or less per serving
- Low sodium – 140 milligrams or less per serving
- Reduced (or less) sodium – At least 25 percent less sodium per serving than the usual sodium level
- Light (for sodium-reduced products) – If the food is “low calorie” and “low fat” and sodium is reduced by at least 50 percent per serving
- Light in sodium – If sodium is reduced by at least 50 percent per serving
Thanks for stopping by. Be well, blessed and have a healthy day! Love, Mary