HOW MUCH SODIUM?

Ideally, 1500 mg of sodium (on average) is recommended per day; that is approximately 3/4 teaspoon of salt. So health experts recommend less that a teaspoon of salt per day implying that about 3/4 teaspoon of salt is sufficient to support relevant body processes. 2,300 mg (1 teaspoon of table salt) or less sodium is recommended. On average most adults consume about 3,000 mg of sodium per day. By consuming about twice as much as the ideal amount of sodium, every day, how are our bodies affected?

WHY A LOW SODIUM DIET?

A low-sodium (salt) diet may help prevent build up of extra water in your body.
This may be for high blood pressure, heart failure, kidney disease or other conditions in which swelling or fluid retention can occur.
Even if you take a pill for blood pressure or a water pill (diuretic) to remove fluid, it is still important to have less salt in your diet.
If you have a low-sodium diet strictly and avoid processed foods, the sodium content will be about 1500 mg/day. This will allow you to have about 1/8 tsp table salt to season your food. Use “lite” salt and you may have 1⁄4 tsp.
This small amount of sodium seems unrealistic, but avoiding certain items could help achieve a low-sodium diet. If you are directed to eat a low-sodium diet by your health practitioner, it is vital to avoid certain items

SODIUM-SENSITIVITY FOODS TO AVOID

Salt – 1/4 teaspoon of table salt has almost 600 milligrams sodium.
Processed foods-salt is added in large amounts to some regular foods.
1. Canned foods-soups, stews, sauces, gravy mixes, and some vegetables
2. Frozen foods dinners, entrees, vegetables with sauces
3. Snacks-salted chips, popcorn, pretzels, pork rinds and crackers
4. Packaged starchy foods-seasoned noodle or rice dishes, stuffing mix, macaroni and cheese dinner
5. Instant cooking foods to which you add hot water and stir—potatoes, cereals, noodles, rice, etc.
6. Mixes such as cornbread, biscuit, cake, pudding
7. Meats and cheeses
Deli or lunch meats-bologna, ham, turkey, roast beef, etc.
Cured or smoked meats-corned beef, sausage of any kind (patty, link,
Kielbasa, Italian, wieners or hot dogs), bacon*
Canned meats-potted meats, spreads, Spam, Vienna sausage, etc.
Cheeses-read labels and avoid those with more than 140 mg sodium per serving; examples are American cheese, Cheese Spreads
8. Condiments, Sauces and Seasonings
Mustard, ketchup, salad dressings, bouillon cubes or granules
Sauces- -Worcestershire, barbecue, pizza, chili, steak, soy or horseradish sauce
Meat tenderizer, monosodium glutamate
Any seasoning that has “salt” in the name or on the label
Avoid celery salt, garlic salt and onion salt; have celery, garlic or onion powder or flakes instead
Read labels carefully-lemon pepper often has salt
Pickles and olives