Is There Hidden Salt in Your Food?

March 21 - 27 is World Salt Awareness Week. The Heart and Stroke Foundation tells us that reducing the level of sodium in our diet would reduce the number of strokes and heart attacks in Canada and save countless lives. Foundation experts report, "Canadians are consuming too much sodium. In Canada, the sodium intake of the majority of Canadians exceeds the Tolerable Upper Intake Level (UL) of 2,300 mg and is closer to 3,400 mg per day."

If your doctor has told you to cut down on salt (sodium) in your diet, you might think that taking the salt shaker off the dining room table is the only change you need to make. But did you know that the salt we add to food at home is only a small portion of the sodium found in the diet of most people? According to Dr. David Katz of the Yale University School of Medicine, "Roughly 80% of the sodium we consume comes not from our salt shakers but from additions made by the food industry."

If you have high blood pressure, heart disease or another health condition made worse by salt, it's time to read food labels before adding foods to your shopping cart.

Here are seven things to remember:

Some foods are naturally high in sodium. This includes olives and some meat and dairy products. Other foods use salt as a preservative or leavening agent. Processed deli meats such as salami and pepperoni may fill your recommended daily salt limit with one portion.

Almost all pre-packaged meals, frozen dinners and entrees, soups, sauces and canned vegetables have a generous helping of salt. Look for low-salt varieties—or better yet, cook from scratch using fresh ingredients.

Foods don't have to taste salty to contain an unhealthy level of sodium. You might guess that pretzels, potato chips and salted peanuts have plenty of sodium. But other products, such as breakfast cereal and soft drinks, can also have added salt.

Salt substitutes are a good option. But some foods we might think of as "alternates" aren't actually substitutes at all. Soy sauce, bouillon cubes, ketchup and other condiments can all have high sodium content.

Many foods come in a low-salt version—but check the labels carefully. The product may still contain more salt than is acceptable for you. And remember that "unsalted" foods may still contain the sodium that naturally appears in the food itself.

Salt may be disguised in food labels. But we can often detect it by looking for the word "sodium" in some of those long chemical names, such as sodium bicarbonate, sodium benzoate or monosodium glutamate.

Choose your beverage wisely. Some soft drinks have added sodium. Vegetable juices can be full of beneficial nutrients, but look for low-sodium varieties. And remember to check the sodium content of "sports beverages."

For More Information

Learn more about controlling hypertension in "High Blood Pressure in Seniors Can Be Managed with Home Care" in the August 2010 issue of Choices.

Savory Seasonings Wordfind Though some senior cooks fear their culinary creations will taste bland without added salt, you might be surprised at how little you miss it if you substitute other seasonings. And did you know many spices have other health benefits? A spice rack's worth of herbs are hidden in this puzzle. Give your brain a workout and find all 25!