Salt, Lets Talk About It!

What Is Salt?

Salt or Sodium Chloride is a mineral that is an essential part of our diet. Sodium helps our body regulate fluid balance and is needed for muscle function. However, eating too much salt can lead to health problems such as high blood pressure and an increased risk of stroke.

The American Heart Association recommends a sodium limit of 1,500mg per day.

Studies show that the majority of our salt intake comes from processed food and food from restaurants.

One teaspoon of table salt has 2,300mg of sodium.

Many adults eat and average of about 3,400mg per day. Thats is over twice the recommended amount!

Watch out! Some words indicate that a food may be packed with salt:

• Smoked
• Cured
• Pickled
• Brined
• Barbecued
• Soy Sauce
• Teriyaki Sauce
  

Tips:

• Experiment with herbs, citrus, & garlic
• Drain and rinse canned vegetables
• Consider purchasing frozen vegetables over canned
• Read and compare food labels
• Don’t keep the salt shaker on the table
• Limit prepackaged and processed foods
  

Read the Label

Reading food labels is one of the best ways to monitor your sodium intake. Be sure to check the labels while you are doing your grocery shopping.

• Compare the same product made by different companies

A comparison of canned corn:

• Be sure to keep an eye on the serving size
• Look for labels that indicate “no salt added”, “low salt”, & “reduced sodium”