Publication #FCS8129

Topics: Family Youth and Community Sciences� |�Sodium� |�Nutrition for Health and Fitness series� |�Carrot Products and Recipes� |�Bobroff, Linda B�

Nutrition for Health and Fitness: Sodium in Your Diet¹

Linda B. Bobroff²

Sodium and High Blood Pressure

Many Americans are trying to cut down on sodium in their diets. This is because decreasing sodium intake can decrease high blood pressure in some people.

About one in four Americans has blood pressure that is too high. This increases their risk of getting a heart attack or stroke. We don't know who will develop high blood pressure, but we do know that many Americans eat more sodium than they need.

In addition to high sodium intake, other factors increase your chances of having high blood pressure. You are more likely to have high blood pressure if other people in your family have high blood pressure or if you are overweight.

Getting the Facts

What is Sodium?

Sodium is a mineral that the body needs in small amounts. It is found in foods mostly as sodium chloride. Sodium chloride is another name for table salt. One teaspoon of salt contains about 2,000 milligrams (mg) of sodium.

How Much Sodium Do I Need?

Your body needs only a small amount of sodium. Most health experts agree that we should keep our sodium intake at about 2,400 mg or less. This is the amount of sodium in a little more than 1 teaspoon of salt. Most Americans consume much more sodium than this.

Where Is Sodium Found in My Diet?

Sodium occurs naturally in many foods and is also added in processing. Most sodium added to foods comes from salt. Other ingredients and food additives contain sodium as well.

Fact: About 1/3 of the sodium in our diets is from salt we use in cooking or add at the table.

Foods high in sodium include:

Salty snacks and crackers
Processed cheeses
Salted, smoked, or cured meats
Pickled or canned fish
Canned soups and meats
Pickles, sauerkraut, and relishes
Condiments -- check nutrition labels

Use these foods less often to cut down on sodium in your diet.

Using Food Labels

Food labels can help you keep your sodium intake below 2,400 milligrams a day. Most packaged foods must have nutrition and ingredient information on the label. Nutrition information is given in a table called Nutrition Facts (see chart).

Figure 1.

The amount of sodium in a food must be included on the nutrition label. In the Nutrition Facts table, sodium is given in milligrams per serving and as a percent of the Daily Value. In the Nutrition Facts panel, one serving of the food contains 660 mg (28% of the Daily Value) of sodium.

The Daily Value for sodium is 2,400 mg. This is the most you should have in a day. Try to eat no more than 2,400 mg of sodium each day. The nutrition label lets you compare the amount of sodium in different brands of the same food. This is because serving sizes of a certain food are the same on all food labels.

What About Food Label Claims?

What if a food label says a food is “sodium free” or “low sodium?” What do these claims mean? This table shows nutrition claims that are allowed on food labels:

Cooking with Less Sodium

Try new low sodium recipes.
Cut down on the salt in your favorite recipes. Use less and less salt each time you make the recipe.
Some recipes don't really need any salt!
Use spices and herbs, lemon juice, or lime juice instead of salt (see the Low-Sodium Seasonings Chart).
Cut back on salt used in cooking pasta, rice, noodles and hot cereal. Try cutting the salt in half at first. Then see if you can use no salt at all in these foods.
Use more fresh foods and less canned foods. Try some packaged foods labeled "low sodium," "very low sodium," "reduced sodium," or "less sodium."

FACT: Processed foods tend to be higher in sodium than fresh foods.

Even if you are a salt lover, you will soon lose the desire for salty foods. Be sure to cut down on added salt slowly and cook with herbs and spices to keep your food tasty.

See Table 3 for Special Herb and Spice Combinations.

For Additional Information

For more information about sodium or other nutrition and health issues, contact the Family and Consumer Sciences agent at your local county Extension office.

You can also find reliable information at the following websites:

Http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/

Http://www.nutrition.gov

Http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov

Http://americanheart.org

Low or Reduced Sodium Recipes

Vegetable-Beef Soup

2 quarts water

1 pound of lean beef (round)

1 large onion, chopped

2 large garlic cloves, crushed

juice of 1 lemon

2 large russet potatoes, diced

1 cup fresh (or frozen) corn, removed from cob

1/2 pound fresh (or frozen) green beans, cut into 1pieces

1 cup green cabbage, chopped

Simmer meat, garlic, and onion in water, covered, for 1 hour. Add lemon juice and vegetables and simmer, covered, until done. Makes 6 servings.

Approx. per serving: 250 calories; 4 grams fat; 50 mg sodium.

Microwave Baked Beans

Sweet bits of apple flavor these tasty baked beans.

1/4 cup dried onion flakes

1 apple, cored and diced

1 can pinto beans, rinsed and drained

1 tablespoon molasses

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

1/4 cup water

Combine ingredients in small microwave-safe casserole dish. Cover and microwave on high until apples are tender, about 8-10 minutes. Serve hot. Makes 4 servings.

Approx. per serving (3/4 cup): 150 calories; less than 1 g fat; 135 mg sodium.

Source: Http://www.foodandhealth.com Used with permission. Accessed October 7, 2002.

Salad Dressing

1/3 cup olive oil

2/3 cup red wine vinegar

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1/2 teaspoon paprika

1 tablespoon lemon or lime juice

1/4 teaspoon dry mustard

1 tablespoon sugar

1 teaspoon finely chopped onion

Shake together before serving on tossed salad. Makes 8 servings.

Approx. per serving: 85 calories; 9 grams fat; less than 5 mg sodium.

Chicken Fried Rice

This recipe contains less sodium than fried rice made with regular soy sauce.

1 tablespoon corn oil or safflower oil

1/2 cup grated carrots

1 cup cooked, chopped chicken breasts, skin and bones removed

1 egg and 1 egg white,* lightly beaten

1/2 teaspoon pepper

3 cups cooked brown rice

3 tablespoons lite soy sauce

2/3 cup scallions, sliced

In a wok or skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add carrots and chicken. Stir-fry 1 minute. Add eggs and pepper and stir-fry 1 minute. Add rice and soy sauce. Stir-fry 5 minutes. Garnish with scallions. Serve immediately. Makes 6 servings.

*To reduce fat and cholesterol, use an egg substitute with less than 2 grams fat per serving. Fat and calorie content may vary between brands.

Approx. per serving: 200 calories; 5 grams fat; 350 mg sodium.

Homemade Chicken Broth

1 2-pound stewing chicken (or chicken pieces), skin and fat removed

3 quarts water

2 carrots, peeled and quartered

2 stalks celery, cut into pieces

1 onion, quartered

2 sprigs of fresh parsley

8 peppercorns

1 bay leaf

Combine all ingredients in a large stockpot. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, skimming off foam as necessary. Reduce heat when no more foam rises to the top.

Simmer, uncovered, for about 2 hours. Remove chicken. Strain broth. Refrigerate until any fat rises to the top and congeals. Remove and discard fat. Use broth as a base for soup, or to cook rice or vegetables, etc. Use chicken in salad or other recipes. Makes eight 1-1/2 cup servings.

Approx. per serving: 180 calories; 5 gram fat; 120 mg sodium.

Test Yourself

See the quiz to Estimate the Sodium in Your Diet.

Tables

Table 1.

If a label says:	It means that one serving of the food has:
Sodium free	Less than 5 mg of sodium
Salt free	Product meets requirements for "sodium free"
Very low sodium	35 mg of sodium or less
Low sodium	140 mg of sodium or less
Reduced sodium, less sodium	At least 25 percent less sodium than the regular food
Light in sodium	50 percent less sodium than the regular food

Table 2.

Low-Sodium Seasonings
For:	Use:
Pot roast or meatloaf	allspice, garlic, marjoram, thyme
Fish	chives, dill, tarragon
Poultry	marjoram, rosemary, tarragon
Soups	curry powder, ginger
Pastas	poppy seeds, savory
Tomatoes or tomato sauces	basil, oregano
Rice or bulgur	basil, curry powder, onion powder
Cooked cabbage, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, or cauliflower	caraway seeds, curry powder, marjoram
Cooked carrots or beets	caraway seeds, cloves
Cooked green beans, lima beans or peas	dill, rosemary

Table 3.

Special Herb and Spice Combinations

Start with equal amounts of each herb or spice (except hot pepper!). Adjust to suit your taste.

Barbecue blend: cumin, garlic, hot pepper, oregano

Italian blend: basil, marjoram, oregano, rosemary, sage, savory, thyme

Egg herbs: basil, dill weed (leaves), garlic, parsley, fines herbes

Salad herbs: basil, parsley, tarragon

Table 4.

Estimating the Sodium in Your Diet

Take a look at how the foods you eat and the way you prepare and serve them affect the amount of sodium in your diet. (Put a check in only one box for each question.)
	Less than once a week	1 or 2 times a week	3 to 5 times a week	Almost daily
How often do you:
1.Eat cured or processed meats such as ham, bacon, sausage, frankfurters, and other lunch meats?
2.Choose canned vegetables or frozen vegetables with sauce?
3.Use commercially prepared meals (TV dinners, package mixes), main dishes, or canned or dried soups?
4.Eat cheese or foods with lots of cheese, like pizza or macaroni and cheese?
5.Eat salted nuts, popcorn, pretzels, corn chips, potato chips?
6.Add salt to cooking water for vegetables, rice, or pasta?
7.Add salt, seasoning mixes, salad dressings, or condiments such as soy sauce, steak sauce, catsup, and mustard to foods during preparation or at the table?
8.Salt your food before tasting it?
The more checks you have in the last 2 columns, the higher the amount of sodium in your diet. To cut back on sodium, choose low sodium foods more often. When you eat a high sodium food, balance it with foods that are low in sodium. Also, try using the salt shaker less often. This publication provides more tips on keeping sodium at a healthy level in your diet!

Footnotes

This document is FCS8129, one of a series of the Department of Family, Youth and Community Sciences, Florida Cooperative Extension Service, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida. Publication date: October 2002. First published: April 1990. Revised: October 2002. Please visit the EDIS Web site at http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu

Linda B. Bobroff, PhD, RD, LD/N, Associate Professor and Extension Foods and Nutrition Specialist, Department of Family, Youth and Community Sciences, Cooperative Extension Service, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, 32611. Reviewed by Jennifer Hillan, MSH, RD, LD/N.

The Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (IFAS) is an Equal Opportunity Institution authorized to provide research, educational information and other services only to individuals and institutions that function with non-discrimination with respect to race, creed, color, religion, age, disability, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, national origin, political opinions or affiliations. For more information on obtaining other extension publications, contact your county Cooperative Extension service.

U.S. Department of Agriculture, Cooperative Extension Service, University of Florida, IFAS, Florida A. & M. University Cooperative Extension Program, and Boards of County Commissioners Cooperating. Larry Arrington, Dean.

Nutrition for Health and Fitness: Sodium in Your Diet1