Sodium Lable Shakeout
Odium free: Less than 5 per serving, No need to restrict yourself, since 400 servings a day would still keep you at 2,000 milligrams of sodium!
Very low sodium: Thirty-five milligrams or less per serving. You’re still in the safe zone.
Low sodium: One hundred forty milligrams or less per serving. Don’t get reckless. A few servings can add up in a hurry.
Reduced sodium: Three-quarters less sodium than is typical for that food. Fact is, many foods are typically high in sodium, so reducing that amount may not be as helpful as you think. Also, the container may not say simply “salt,” but if it says any
of these, you can bet it is salt. Don’t be fooled by:
- sea salt
- garlic salt
- onion salt
- seasoned salt
- brine
NOTE: If a serving size is very small, for example two table-
spoons of salad dressing, then 35 to 140 milligrams can still be quite a high concentration of sodium for such a small portion.
Cut back on the saltshaker first. “That’s what we go after;’ says Dr. Kaplan. “Salt poured on food is the thing people have the most immediate control over.”
Then go after the foods Dr. Kaplan calls “salt mines,” for example, anchovies, sauerkraut, pickles and salami. “All we’re talking about here is taking a few of life’s pleasures away;’ says Dr. Kaplan. “It won’t be easy for those few people who are addicted to salami. But it’s usually not a major sacrifice.” The greatest salt mine may be potato chips. “You’d need to eat 10 whole potatoes to get the amount of sodium in just 10 potato chips;’ says Dr. Simon.
The next sodium source on your list should be processed foods because salt and other sodium compounds act as preservatives and flavor enhancers and are often used liberally in them. Not surprisingly, processed foods (which include some of the worst salt mines already mentioned) are the biggest source of sodium in the American diet, perhaps accounting for more than 70 percent of our intake. Canned foods are the worst offenders. But you can find a high sodium content in some frozen foods, baked goods and many staples at fast-food restaurants. Reading food labels is critical to finding your way past the salt mines in the supermarket. (See “Label Shakeout” at left.)
How much of a difference does all this sodium-searching really make? Well, for many people, for each teaspoon of salt they eliminate, they can expect a five-point drop in systolic (top number) pressure and half that in diastolic (bottom number) pressure. For millions of Americans, this would be enough of a drop to eliminate the need for medications.