
Reducing the sodium levels in your diet can prevent heart disease and reduce water weight. Find out how to reduce salt intake in diet for a healthier lifestyle.
Sodium may be an essential mineral for any diet, but more and more
foods contain such a high level, that the recommended daily intake
is often left behind after just a couple of meals. Discover how to
reduce salt intake in your diet by avoiding sodium-rich foods.
How Much Sodium is Healthy?
According to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, the recommended
daily intake of sodium varies between 1,500 mg for people with high
blood pressure to 2,300 or 2,400 mg for healthy adults.
These values are often ignored and the average American consumes
3,266 mg of sodium per day, over 40% of the recommended daily
intake, increasing their risk of heart attack and stroke.
How to Reduce Salt Intake in Your Diet
Skipping the table salt is not the only way to reduce the salt
intake and it may not even be necessary if you start paying
attention to the sodium content in what you eat.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention claim that 90 percent of
U.S. adults get too much sodium every day and that's mostly based
on sodium-rich foods that go unnoticed.
Foods Highest in Sodium
For most people, the highest quantity of sodium comes from bread.
In only 13 slices, you could go over the daily recommended
intake.
Since salt has been used to preserve foods for a long time, it's
also present in high quantities in bouillon cubes, powdered broths,
soups and gravies. Soy sauce, along with salad dressings and other
sauces have a similarly high sodium content. When it comes to
animal products, processed meat products have the highest content
of sodium, specifically cold cuts and cured meats.
Fast food is a big offender and should be let go completely if
you're wondering how to reduce salt intake in diet. Pizza, along
with sandwiches with processed ingredients and sauces all contain a
lot of sodium. Snack foods, like pretzels, chips and popcorn also
have very high levels of salt, along with pickled foods, that are
usually preserved with salt. A single large pickled cucumber can
contain up to half of the daily recommended sodium intake.
Sun dried tomatoes and cheese have equally high sodium levels and
they raise the salt intake specifically when used in pasta mixed
dishes and meat mixed dishes. Saltwater crab is also a dangerous
source of sodium when eaten in large quantities. A single leg of
Alaska King crab can have up to 60% of the recommended daily sodium
intake.
See also:
Salty Six: Foods to Avoid for Better Health
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