Put Your Food on a Low-Sodium Diet By Joanne Eglash
Alas, those high-sodium foods do not treat me kindly. In addition to causing water retention (I can gain 5 pounds overnight if I overindulge in salty foods), high-sodium products are on the “red light” list for individuals with high blood pressure. And I’m one of those individuals.
As a result, you won’t find a salt shaker in my spice cupboard, nor will you find many common foods. You might think that it’s easy to eat a low-sodium diet — just don’t salt your foods, right? Wrong. It takes much more attention to those detailed nutritional labels than you probably now invest. Check with your physician or health care provider to determine just how low you should go — low-sodium diets can be as low as 500 to 1000 milligrams per day to about 2,000 milligrams per day, depending on what your doctor feels is best for you. (If you’re unsure, our nutritionists can help: Call 866-756-1510 to reach them for free.)
In general, follow these tips to shift to a low-sodium food plan:
–Don’t assume that a food needs to taste salty in order to be high in sodium. For example, you might guess that soy sauce and pickles are too salty to enjoy regularly on a low-sodium diet. But some cheeses are surprisingly high in salt, as are many breads. So read that nutritional label before you buy. My beloved Cheddar cheese, for example, can contain as much as 400 milligrams in just 1 ounce — but it also comes in low-sodium varieties.
–When it comes to canned foods, even the low-sodium versions or those marked “less salt” may be too high when you consider what constitutes a portion. If you regard a can of soup as a meal, for example, that “low-salt” version may have more milligrams of sodium than you’re allowed in an entire day! Here’s a hint: Learn to make your own low-sodium versions of your favorites.
–Make friends with spices. Oregano, basil, thyme, garlic powder, curry power — experiment with a variety of salt-free seasoning mixes, and you’ll discover just how zesty food can be without salt.
–Be cautious, very cautious, with those convenient TV dinners. Yes, even the supposedly healthy low-calorie or low-carb variety. Just because it’s low in calories or carbohydrate does not mean that it’s low in sodium. Some varieties contain more than 1,000 milligrams per meal. If you love the convenience so much that you have one for lunch and one for dinner, then you just maxed out or went over your total allotment for the day!
–Choose fast food or restaurant meals with care. Always ask if you can have your meal especially prepared without salt; explain that you must follow a low-sodium diet for medical reasons. I’ve been pleasantly surprised with how frequently I receive a helpful response — even in drive-thru restaurants.
Does that mean you can dine out every day? No, because it’s impossible to know for sure just how much sodium that meal actually does contain. For example, I once made that request at a very expensive restaurant — and my first bite of the salad revealed that the salad dressing was loaded with salt! I asked to talk with a manager, who apologized and substituted a salad with a cruet of balsamic vinegar at my request. And note the following based on my experience: Request any accompaniments, such as salad dressing or steamed report card.
Best Tasting LOW SODIUM BBQ SAUCE EVER!!!
Hello, Just wanted to let you know that I have a NEW FAVORITE BBQ SAUCE! Found it on my favorite LOW SODIUM SITE- www.heartwisefoods.com The name is Grumpy’s Private Reserve-Not So Bold BBQ Sauce. It has so much flavor-not flat at all. I have not had a chance to try the other flavors but am going to try with order next week. Let me know if you have other suggestions for NO SALT or LOW SODIUM foods for me to try. Always looking for something tasty! THANKS!
edits by:StuRat, Flickety, Sondra C, Krystle
According to both the American Heart Association and the Department of Nutrition at the Harvard School of Public Health healthy adults should consume less than 1500 milligrams of sodium per day. Unfortunately most individuals consume more than 3000 mg of sodium a day resulting in over 70% of Americans having a needless elevated risk of heart attack, stroke, and other forms of cardiovascular disease (www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/salt) Even just one teaspoon of salt contains approximately 2000 mg of sodium, and a single item from a fast food restaurant can have almost as much (a KFC chicken pot pie has 2160 mg): [1]. Since chronic excess sodium is associated with hypertension and possibly other conditions for a minority of the population, some people are looking for ways to keep their sodium intake under control. An acute sodium overdose may also cause immediate medical symptoms, such as cracked, bleeding lips, nausea, and, in extreme cases, death: [2].
No Salt Seasoning with FLAVOR? ..Found It!
I found a GREAT tasting all purpose NO SALT SEASONING today at my favorite Low Salt Website(www.heartwisefoods.com)!!! It is called Fresh Finds-No Salt Seasoning and I have used it on just about EVERYTHING this week: stew, grilled pork tenderloin, fresh sliced tomatoes, pasta with garlic infused extra virgin olive oil and my eggs for breakfast today! I want you all to try it and let me know what you think and what you used it on-it is TASTY!
Eden Organic Beans & Rice are Awsome!
Hello everybody!!! Sorry for the long delayin writing, but been busy like everyone is these days. I promise to get back on this and write daily because I am looking for some new ideas for low sodium meals. I tried two things from my favorite website, www.heartwisefoods.com , Eden Lentils and Rice-THEY ARE AWSOME! Super taste and texture with these. I did try the Chef Zachary-No Salt Chelsea Spice on a pork tenderloin tonite in the broiler… my kids said it was GREAT-so I give that a thumbs up too. Let me know what you suggest…please!
Our Food Needs to Be Low Sodium Or Sodium Free
By Pamela Bunta
*Read this article today and thought that it was something we all could relate to
My doctors put me on a sodium restricted diet several years ago. I searched many grocery stores, health food stores, and so on to find ready made sodium free or low sodium foods. To no avail! thus began my frustration of finding foods that I used to enjoy that might be sodium free or reduced sodium.
Now my husband is on a very sodium restricted diet due to liver and kidney disease. His life now depends on restricted sodium. I went to the grocers where I live and asked different managers what the prospects were of getting in some salt free foods. I was told they just are not available to buy for the grocery stores to carry.
Unbelievable, but true!
I am now having to make my own home made salt free condiments, breads, soups, meals, and so on, from scratch. Thank goodness I am in a position of time that I can actually do this.
Yes, we were spoiled Americans before this came about, living on quick foods and eating out.
When you have to eat to live, you will make the sacrifices necessary when it comes to taste. Now we enjoy the flavor of our food more.
Too much sodium is bad for all systems in your body, from the brain, vascular system, kidneys, heart, liver, stomach, tissues, and our general health.
But I am told by the Grocers Association that the American people and those around the world, have a taste for lots of salt and salt sells foods. Yes. it is used for a preservative, but now it has went beyond preserving food to a craving for salt in the public.
Salt addiction? Could it be that we are killing ourselves with too much sodium? Yes, we eat 3 to 4 times the daily requirements in our diet.
Well, actually my husband and I do not any longer and we are feeling much better for it.
This really needs to be addressed and brought to the attention of the American public.
Cut Hypertension Drugs With Low-Salt Diet
By Kathleen Doheny
WebMD Health News
Reviewed By Elizabeth Klodas, MD, FACC
July 20, 2009 — Lowering daily salt intake may reduce the need to prescribe additional medications to control high blood pressure, according to a new study.
Patients with resistant hypertension are those who take three or more medicines to try and control their blood pressure, but their readings are still high. “These patients especially benefit from a low-salt diet,” says study lead author Eduardo Pimenta, MD, a clinical research fellow in the hypertension department of the University of Queensland in Brisbane, Australia.
“Doctors tend to add more and more antihypertensive medications,” he says, but “these patients could have their blood pressure controlled with a low-salt diet and fewer medications.” Based on his study, he says, doctors should consider additional lifestyle intervention, reinforcing to patients the importance of a low-salt diet before adding more drugs.
The study is published in Hypertension: Journal of the American Heart Association. In the same issue, another study found that modest salt reduction reduced blood pressure in blacks, whites, and Asians who had mildly elevated pressures, and that the low-salt diet also produced other health benefits.
The lowdown on the low-sodium diet
By Jacob Franek
Stress Management Specialist
Take for example, the low-sodium diet. Sodium is a nutrient found in table salt and many other foods. Most men consume far too much sodium, usually because we add too much table salt to our food. And although many of us recognize that sodium is “bad” for us, very few truly understand the reasons why — and even fewer actually take measures to suck the salt from our diets.
So why exactly do men need to worry about salt? And why should we practice a low-sodium diet?
Read on to find out as AskMen explores the low-sodium diet.
The good and bad of sodium
Despite the negative press on salt, the reality is that the human body needs some sodium to function properly. What exactly does it do for you? For starters, sodium helps maintain the balance of fluids in our bodies, it helps transmit nerve impulses and it also influences muscle contractions.
By and large, the kidney functions to control sodium. If sodium levels are low, the kidneys retain sodium. If sodium levels are high, the kidneys excrete excess sodium in the urine. But if, for some reason, the kidneys aren’t working properly, or if we ingest too much salt, sodium begins to accumulate in the blood. Because sodium attracts and holds water, blood volume increases and, with it, so does blood pressure.
It is this increase in blood pressure that makes sodium so dangerous, being a risk factor for heart disease and stroke, the first and third leading killers in the U.S. With that in mind, isn’t it about time you thought about a low-sodium diet?
How much sodium do you really need?
The Institute of Medicine recommends the following adequate intakes for adults per day:
- 1,500 mg for people aged 9 to 50,
- 1,300 mg for adults aged 51 to 70, and
- 1,200 mg for seniors over 70 years of age.
Meanwhile, the 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends upper limits that adults should not exceed:
- 2,300 mg for the healthy adult,
- 1,500 mg of sodium a day if you have high blood pressure, kidney disease or diabetes; are black; or are middle-aged or older.
Why do processed foods contain so much sodium?
from Katherine Zeratsky, R.D., L.D.
~Mayo Clinic nutritionist~
Salt (sodium chloride) helps prevent spoiling by drawing moisture out of food, so bacteria can’t grow. Salt also kills existing bacteria that might cause spoiling.
At one time, salting was one of the only ways to preserve food. Although that’s not the case today, salt remains a common ingredient in many processed foods. Salt makes soups more savory, reduces dryness in crackers and pretzels, and increases sweetness in cakes and cookies. Salt also helps disguise metallic or chemical aftertastes in products such as soft drinks.
For otherwise healthy adults, the American Heart Association recommends limiting sodium intake to less than 2,300 milligrams (mg) a day. That’s about 1 teaspoon of table salt — and what you may find in an average amount of processed foods every day. If you have high blood pressure or certain other chronic conditions, you’re black, or you’re older than age 50, your doctor may recommend limiting sodium intake to less than 1,500 mg a day.
To reduce sodium in your diet:
- Eat more fresh foods, such as fresh fruits, vegetables, lean meats, poultry, fish and unprocessed grains.
- Read product labels for sodium content. As much as possible, opt for low-sodium products or products without added salt.
- Select unsalted nuts, seeds, pretzels and other snacks.
- Use herbs and spices — rather than salt — to flavor your food.
Americans consume too much salt in diet
Published: June 25, 2010
ATLANTA — Most U.S. adults should eat less than a teaspoon of salt each day, but a new government report says just 1 in 18 meet that goal.
The participants in the study tended to consume roughly 1teaspoons of salt each day. People in the more restrictive group — those at increased risk of high blood pressure — were eating twice as much as they should have, the study found.
“This is not good news,” said Janelle Peralez Gunn of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, lead author of a new study released Thursday.
Health officials currently say no adult should eat more than a teaspoon of salt each day. They go on to advise that 70 percent of adults — including people with high blood pressure, all African-Americans and everyone over 40 — should actually limit their salt intake to a more restrictive two-thirds of a teaspoon.
Sodium increases the risk of high blood pressure, which is major cause of heart disease and stroke.
Overall, only 1 in 10 adults meet the teaspoon standard, said the CDC study. But for those who should be even stingier, only 1 in 18 manage to do it.
The research repeated what others have found, that the majority of dietary salt comes from processed and restaurant foods. And it concluded that salt was most commonly found in cold cuts and other meats, and in baked goods and other items counted as grain-based products.
Salt reduction has become a recent focus of public health campaigns. New York City, the American Heart Association and nearly three dozen other groups have been trying to persuade food manufacturers and chain eateries to reduce salt content.
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