Too much Sodium can be HAZARDOUS to your health!
You have probably heard many times, “limit your salt intake.”
Have you ever wondered why?
Salt does not affect blood sugar levels. Even though this is true, if you have Diabetes t's very important to limit the amount of salt you eat. Too much salt can raise your blood pressure. People with diabetes or prediabetes are at a greater risk of high blood pressure (hypertension), which can make a person more susceptible to heart disease, stroke, and kidney disease.
“There is also some evidence that a high-sodium intake increases calcium losses in the urine -- which is bad news for bone density. Too much sodium may also contribute to the development of kidney stones.”https://www.webmd.com/diet/features/5-easy-ways-to-cut-back-on-salt#1
According to National Diabetes Statistic Report 2020(cdc.gov), 68.4% of Americans with Diabetes have high blood pressure.
Have you ever said, “I don’t use the salt shaker.” Although that is helpful, be aware you may be getting salt in other ways.
The salt shaker you use at the table is not the biggest sodium contributor in the American diet. In fact, the majority of the sodium Americans consume—more than 70%—is found in processed food and restaurant meals.
The term “salt” refers to sodium chloride. Salt is a mineral and is made up of sodium and chloride, but it’s the sodium in salt that is bad for your health.
By weight, table salt is approximately 40% sodium and 60% chloride.
About 90% of the sodium we eat is in the form of sodium chloride (salt). https://sodiumbreakup.heart.org/salt-vs-sodium
We really need to focus on sodium….
Although you may hear about salt, it is actually the sodium that is listed on Nutrition food labels that we need to be keeping track of.
Per FDA.gov, Americans eat on average about 3,400 mg of sodium per day. However, the Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends limiting sodium intake to less than 2,300 mg per day—that's equal to about 1 teaspoon of salt!
The USDA says you should have no more than 1,500 mg per day if you have diabetes. The American Heart Association recommends all people get less than 1,500 mg.
Bread, deli meat, pizza, poultry, soup, cheese, packaged snack foods, frozen meals, vegetable juice and condiments such as soy sauce, bottled salad dressings, dips, ketchup, capers, mustard, pickles, olives and relish are very high in sodium.
"Sliced deli meats and hot dogs are packed with sodium." One hot dog can contain up to 700 mg of sodium, while just one slice of regular deli ham can have over 300 mg. American cheese can contain up to 400 mg of sodium per ounce Jul 10, 2015 https://www.everydayhealth.com/heart-health-pictures/10-sneaky-sodium-bombs.asp
Helpful ways to limit daily sodium intake:
Add foods with potassium like sweet potatoes, potatoes, avocados, spinach, tomatoes and lower-sodium tomato sauce, white beans, kidney beans, nonfat yogurt, oranges, bananas and cantaloupe. Potassium helps counter the effects of sodium and may help lower your blood pressure. https://www.heart.org/en/healthy-living/healthy-eating/eat-smart/sodium/how-to-reduce-sodium ****Disclaimer about potassium-some people with kidney disease will need to limit potassium. If have kidney disease the body cannot process potassium properly and too much in the body can accumulate and cause problems. Foods to limit with potassium, if with kidney disease, are contained in this link.https://www.kidney.org/atoz/content/potassium
Cook hot cereal, pasta, rice without salt.
·Add spices to your food instead of salt. Experiment and try coriander, black pepper, nutmeg, parsley, cumin, cilantro, ginger, rosemary, thyme, tarragon, garlic or onion powder, bay leaf, oregano, or dill.
Drain canned vegetable or beans and rinse with water.
Whenever possible choose lower-sodium products. There are many products now which are labeled reduced, low or no sodium.
Compare packaged food Nutrition Facts labels. Look at different brands and choose brands with the lowest amount of sodium per serving. Use the Nutrition Facts label to check the amount of sodium in foods and compare different options. Choose products with 5% Daily Value (DV) or less. A sodium content of 20% DV or more is high.
Limit deli meat sandwiches. If you eat deli meat sandwiches daily or most days of the week, try switching things up and have less deli meat sandwiches a week. Bring your dinner leftovers for lunch, make a salad and add ½ cup of corn with ½ cup of chickpeas, kidney or white beans, or make a "snack plate" by assembling carrot sticks, cucumbers, hummus or tuna salad, slices of avocado cherry tomatoes and grapes.
Prepare your own meal at home instead of going out to eat or buying an “instant” packaged meal in a box.
Before dining out, do your research. Visit the restaurant's website which should list the sodium content of various dishes served there. Alternatively, when you're at the restaurant and ready to order, you can request that the dish be served without salt.
Since restaurant foods have much sodium in them, eating a smaller portion will cut the amount of sodium you eat (Another bonus is it reduces fat and calories! too J A Win! Win! Win!)
Consider following the meal plan DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension). Per the Mayo clinic,” The DASH diet emphasizes vegetables, fruits and low-fat dairy foods — and moderate amounts of whole grains, fish, poultry and nuts.” https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/in-depth/dash-diet/art-20048456
My colleague, Elva Parker RD, DECS (CDE), states the benefits of the DASH diet, “It is endorsed by Cardiologists. It ranks in the top 3 BEST DIETS to follow because it is evidence based and relatively easy to follow and is sustainable.” https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/files/docs/public/heart/dash_brief.pdf
Little steps can add up to big rewards.
You can take charge of your health by changing a few things you may be doing now. Starting with sodium, what one thing will you do, starting today, which will decrease the amount of sodium you are using.