By Donna Moodie, RD CDN
Despite recent media articles and new releases questioning the relationship between sodium intake and blood pressure, The American Heart Association still takes a strong position that excess sodium intake is directly connected to an increase in blood pressure in many people and can contribute to the development of hypertension. According to the American Heart Association, (aha.org March 2016) much of the research that questions sodium intake and heart problems relies on flawed data and poorly designed studies. So it is definitely not time to eat more high sodium, processed foods or put that salt shaker back on the table.
Americans are still consuming too much sodium. On average we are consuming more than 3400 milligrams per day. The recommendation for healthy people is to consume less than 2300 milligrams per day, and for people with conditions like hypertension, pre-hypertension, and diabetes, the recommendation for sodium intake is to consume less than 1500 milligrams per day. This is about the amount found in a large fast food burger or a package of ramen noodles made with the enclosed seasoning packet. Fast food, restaurant food, and processed foods such as ham, hot dogs, rice mixes, frozen meals etc. typically contain very high amounts of sodium. So what can you do to reduce the sodium in your diet?
You can begin by learning how to read labels for sodium, preparing more foods at home, and consuming more whole foods in their natural state. Alternative seasonings such as lemon juice, vinegar, and spices without salt added can also help. After about two weeks, your taste buds will adjust to the lower amount of sodium and you will learn to savor the taste of foods without so much salt. I have included a link below to an updated article called “Food Facts, Sodium and Blood Pressure” published by the FDA. This article is full of information and tips on how to lower your sodium intake, and even has a whole section on label reading. Following a heart healthy diet is also very important for most of us, so check out the American Heart Association website (aha.org) for more tips on heart healthy eating. Good luck on your journey towards healthier eating!
Here is the link to the FDA article:
http://www.fda.gov/downloads/Food/IngredientsPackagingLabeling/UCM315471.pdf
Donna Moodie is a Registered Dietician and Diabetes Educator with Cornell Cooperative Extension of Suffolk County’s Family Health and Wellness Program. She can be reached at dm258@cornell.edu