Canned soups: 1 can of soup can contain 1700 mg of sodium! That’s more than the recommended 1500 mg per day for most people. Lower Sodium Swap: build your sandwich using leftover cooked proteins from dinner (such as roasted chicken breast, salmon etc.) instead of cured meats, low sodium canned salmon or tuna, and lots of veggies like lettuce, tomato, and avocado.Ĥ. Cold cuts & Cured deli meats: Just 6 thin slices of deli meat can contain up to 800 mg of sodium! You don’t need a large amount of processed food to quickly use up your recommended daily sodium limit. Lower Sodium Swap: choose low sodium toppings like veggies, ask for half the usual amount of cheese, and skip the salty toppings like processed meats, feta cheese, olives, and anchovies, or try preparing your own homemade pizza dough with less salt and fresh veggies as toppings.ģ. Pizza: One slice of pepperoni pizza can easily provide upwards of 700 mg of sodium! This comes from the cheese, pizza dough, pepperoni slices, pizza sauce, and other salty toppings. Lower Sodium Swap: skip the roll at dinner, look for lower sodium (less than 120 mg sodium per slice) or no salt added breads and be mindful of how many slices you have each day.Ģ. Breads & Rolls: I think the one that surprises most people is the sodium content of breads and dinner rolls! These can contain up to 230 mg of sodium per slice, and are often eaten throughout the day by most people (think a slice of bread at breakfast, sandwich at lunch, then dinner rolls). The Salty Six is a list of the top foods that contribute the most sodium to the North American diet.ġ. The “Salty Six” – top six hidden food sources of sodium + Easy lower sodium swaps So even if you don’t have high blood pressure, it’s recommended to limit the amount of sodium in your diet. Other negative health risks associated with too much sodium include osteoporosis and certain types of cancer. High blood pressure can increase your risk of developing heart disease (clogged/damaged arteries) and stroke. When you have too much sodium it can cause water to be drawn into your blood vessels, which puts extra stress on your artery walls and heart, and over time can cause blood vessels to stiffen and lead to high blood pressure (hypertension). Sodium is regulated by your kidneys and helps to maintain proper fluid balance in your body, and is involved in nerve and muscle function. Sodium is a mineral that is found in table salt (in the form of sodium chloride), naturally occurs in low amounts in many foods (even vegetables have very small amounts of sodium), and is used as a preservative and flavour enhancer added to many processed foods. Why it’s important to limit sodium (even if your blood pressure is normal) In fact, most North Americans consume 3400 mg sodium each day, which is double the recommended amount!īefore we get into the top contributors to sodium in the North American diet, it’s important to understand why we should limit salt in our diet. Many processed & restaurant foods already contain close to the daily limit of sodium, which means the sodium adds up quickly and can lead to exceeding the recommended limit of 2300 mg without even realizing it. This is equal to about ¼ teaspoon of table salt, and would be nearly impossible to go below with today’s diet since most people consume at least some level of processed foods. The minimum amount of sodium our body needs for normal functioning is VERY small, about 500 mg of sodium per day. And most people (especially those who are sensitive to salt and at risk of high blood pressure) should be aiming for closer to 1500 mg which is about 3/4 teaspoon of table salt. Ī common worry of some of my clients is that they won’t get enough sodium in their diet if they go on a low sodium diet. The limit for sodium is less than 2300 mg/day, which is equal to about 1 teaspoon of table salt.
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