There's been a lot of pressure on food manufacturers recently to decrease the amount of salt in food products. This is happening in the United States as well as Europe. There's salt in so many processed food that we really can't avoid it. There are the obvious sources such as potato chips and fast food, but did you know that even foods like bread are loaded with salt too? That is why the FDA and the UK's Food Standards Agency have started urging food manufacturers to reduce the salt content in foods and asking consumers to start paying more attention to their salt intake.
The 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend an intake of 2,300 mg or less of salt per day. The FSA in the United Kingdom recommend people cut down to 6,000 mg per day over the next few years. While 6,00 mg a day may be more realistic, 2,300 per day is much healthier.
Sodium (salt) makes the body hold onto water. In turn, the heart has to work harder to pump the fluid through the body. People with heart disease should not put this extra pressure on their heart. Whether it causes high blood pressure or not is still being debated. However, it is known that when people with high blood pressure decrease their salt intake, their blood pressure goes down. Some people are more sensitive to salt intake and may have more negative effects from high salt consumption. It is not possible to know if you are sensitive to salt until you eat too much. Salt is a risk factor for heart disease and high blood pressure that is fairly easy to control.
Fortunately, every food manufacturer is required to list the amount of sodium in their product on the food label. The amount will be listed in milligrams (500mg, 1000mg, etc). Remember that the goal is to stay below 2,300 mg per day.
The president of the American College of Epidemiology, Roberta Ness is part of a nationwide initiative to reduce salt levels in processed and restaurant foods. The initiative was launched by New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg and the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (NYC DOHMH).
(Statement of Commitment by Health Organizations and Public Agencies)
The American College of Epidemiology is one of more than 30 health organizations and public agencies that have joined the salt reduction coalition and agreed to work toward a salt cutback. They are specifically targeting processed food. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Americans get 77% of their salt from processed foods.
Cutting down on your salt intake can be easy. Here are some tips to get you started:
- Buy fresh, whole foods (not processed) as often as possible.
- Use the salt shaker infrequently.
- Limit salt use in cooking.
- Rinse canned food before eating.
- Limit convenience foods and fast food.
- Read food labels for sodium content.
-Jennifer
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Labels: healthy eating, Jennifer, salt, sodium
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