You all know my theme "Moderation in all things". So it shouldn't surprise you when I say, "Hey, you can and should have salt. Just limit it." So here's me getting all statistical on you.
Q: How much salt should you have every day? A: 2,300 mg (or 2.3 g).
Q: Well, how much is that really? A: 1 tsp of salt.
Q: Well, how much is the "average American" getting? A: 7-15g.
Q: EXCUSE ME?!?! That can't be right, that's more than triple what's needed! A: I wish I was lying.
Why are Americans eating so much salt in the diet? I believe a great part of it has to do with not knowing how to eat any differently and not realizing how much salt they actually have. So to help, I've gathered up the usual suspects. Together we are going to identify the salty criminals that infiltrate our grocery stores, kitchen cabinets, and eventually, our bodies.
Anybody surprise you? I didn't put french fries there because I thought that was a little obvious. And of course, you're all looking at the Ramen and saying, "Well, duh, Dana." But anything else?
Canned soups- Just because it's a "soup" doesn't mean that it's healthy. These are often sources of hidden salt. Just take a look at the label!
Frozen or in-a-box meals- Obviously we all knew that mac-n-cheese wasn't necessarily our friend, but this also goes for any of those meat helper meals, frozen dinners, and even things like the Rice-N-Sides. If you're thinking about buying these items, check the salt content. I usually don't buy these things at all (except for my emergency food storage). I know dinner is better off if I make it from scratch and not a box.
Things with the word "tomato" on it- Tomatoes are healthy. Tomato soups, pastes, and sauces...not so much. One time Dave and I had tomato soup as a side for dinner and he said, "Well, this is healthy, right? I mean, it's tomatoes." I nearly spit my soup out trying not to laugh so hard.
Processed, red meats- Not only are things full of fat, but full of salt, too.
Cheeses- Dairy is good for you, but a lot of it (especially processed cheeses, like Velveeta) are bound to add more salt than you need to your diet.
Canned vegetables- You'd be surprised but those nasty marketing people often neglect to show you how much salt they ADD to the veggies when they can them. I always get my canned vegetables "no salt added"
Back to our Q&A
Q: So how do I cut back on my salt intake? A: Make a habit of looking at labels before you pick something up at the grocery store
Q: What should I look for on the labels? A: Anything that has 140mg of salt per serving (or less) is considered to be a low-sodium food. Get those.
Q: Anything else I should look for on the labels? A: Try to get things that say "salt-free" or "no salt added". Those are the safest bets. Pick them up every time.
In nursing, for those people who struggle knowing how to cut back on their salt, we suggest something called the DASH diet. The DASH diet is super simple. It's more fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and fat-free dairy products. It's less high sodium foods (the culprits above) and less adding a pinch of salt to dinner when it's either on the stove or on the table. And be careful with all seasonings in general- lots of them have a high amount of sodium. This diet often suggested for people with hypertension or heart failure, but I think if more people followed this diet, less people would end up with those conditions in the first place. It's all about fixing our habits BEFORE ending up in the hospital. I wish more people understood the seriousness and importance of that principle.
If you want more information about the DASH diet, this link is incredibly helpful: DASH
Boring scientific note: Here is why large amounts of sodium are harmful to your body. There is one general rule in physiology that never fails- where salt goes, water follows. When we eat most of the food we take in goes to our blood. To get all the waste filtered from the blood, it goes to the kidneys. There, the kidneys take all the small molecules from the blood and decides what should go back into the blood system, and what should go into our urine and get excreted. One of the things that nearly ALWAYS goes back into the blood (no matter how much we have) is sodium. And where sodium goes, water follows. So if you eat a lot of sodium, that salt and a bunch of water just got added back to your blood stream. Why is that bad? Well the added water increases your blood volume. The more blood your heart has to pump, the harder it works. That can lead to 2 things. 1) Because your heart is working harder, more pressure is needed to push all that extra blood around. It leads to high blood pressure or hypertension. You don't notice hypertension until you're in a doctors office or the hospital. Or 2) Because the heart works harder, it starts to get bigger. But bigger doesn't mean better. Your heart eventually gets so worn out pumping all that extra blood that it starts to pump less efficiently. This is heart failure. Unlike, hypertension, I can spot a heart failure patient a mile away. It's easy- they honestly look swollen, especially in the legs and abdomen. This is because their heart isn't pumping very well, so all the blood is piling up in the veins of the legs and abdomen. All that fluid is clearly visible from the outside. So, not to get all gloom and doom on everyone, but that is why cutting back on your salt intake is so important to your health (especially combined with a low-activity lifestyle).
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