Some of you may be aware, sodium is bad for your heart health. But you may not be aware that our bodies need small amounts of sodium to function. It is critical for controlling blood pressure and blood volume while at the same time it aids in your muscles and in nerves to perform properly. Most Americans eat too much sodium. Sodium is most commonly found in salt. Eating too much sodium can raise blood pressure. Consistently high blood pressure can lead to many of the cardiovascular diseases that are prevalent in our culture today. Sodium is not the only substance affecting our heart health but it is enough of a problem to dedicate this blog to it.
I want to start out with some facts provided to us from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The 2020–2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend that Americans consume less than 2,300 milligrams of sodium each day as part of a healthy eating pattern. According to the FDA, Americans eat on average about 3,400 milligrams of sodium per day. Our average intake is well above the recommended levels. I believe there are three major areas where sodium enters our diet. Identifying these three areas can help us reduce our intake.
The most obvious source of sodium is the salt shaker we leave on the table, ready to use at a moment’s notice. Many of us have become accustomed to adding salt to our food to enhance the flavor of any dish. Not only does this subtly offend the person who prepared your food but also adds additional and, more importantly, unnecessary sodium. The food that was just handed to you was most likely cooked by someone who took the time to make sure the dish was delicious already. Make sure you always taste your food before adding salt. The taste of salty food can be addictive. My advice would be to remove the salt shaker from the table and just eat the meal as directed by the recipe. Your desire for extra salty food should diminish over time. While we are talking about cooking from home, you can always adjust the amount of salt in your food when you cook it yourself. This is a huge benefit to cooking meals for yourself, you are in control.
Another area where sodium likes to creep in is when you are eating at an establishment outside your home. The food industry cares about one thing, returning customers. The food must taste and look good. Without those, there will not be money coming into the restaurant. I worked in food service for over six years. There is one thing I can say for certain, the restaurant does not care about your health. Their job is to make money and to make you happy. Plus salty foods help sell a few more drinks. Salt makes food taste good. Salt (and butter) is adding to meals in extraordinary amounts. Avoid going out to eat as much as you can. Your wallet and waistline will appreciate it. But if you go out, try ordering small portions or have the server divide your meal, have half on your plate and the other half in a togo container. This way you can at least split up the amount of salt in the food over a longer period of time.
The third area where there is the most sodium lurking in the dark comes from frozen, canned or prepared meals. These foods are loaded with sodium to help extend the shelf-life of the food. Similar to when meat used to be preserved by using salt, today’s convenience foods use the same tactic. Frozen pizzas, canned soups, and some canned vegetables can contain high amounts of sodium. Though these foods are convenient they may not always align with your health goals. Try your best to cook your own meals from home from scratch. Purchase canned vegetables that have reduced sodium or a no salt label writing on the side. When needing to use canned beans, make sure to put the beans in a colander and raise them as much as possible to get all that salt off of them.
Sodium is an important part of our diet and is necessary in our bodies for proper function. But there is a problem when (like many things in life) we consume too much of it, which can lead to many health problems. Knowing these 3 areas listed above can help you reduce your sodium intake. I have only scratched the surface of all the ways one can reduce their sodium intake. Everyday is a new day to make choices to promote our health. Reducing our salt intake may keep our heart healthy.
