To Salt, or Not to Salt ...
Did you know?
- The body requires fewer than 500 mg of sodium per day.
- The recommended safe intake level is 1,500 to 3,000 mg per day.
- The average North American takes in up to 8,000 mg of sodium per day.
- Sodium holds water, which can aggravate blood pressure.
- A high intake of sodium promotes calcium excretion, which increases the risk of osteoporosis.
More Salt Facts...
- The salt shaker accounts for only one-fourth of the American intake of sodium. So taking the salt shaker off the table may not be enough!
- Processed foods account for half of the American intake of sodium. Read labels and avoid processed foods to reduce sodium intake.
- 1 teaspoon of salt contains 2,000 mg of sodium. Americans consume 1 to 4 teaspoons of salt in their diet daily, even if they never touch the saltshaker!
Notice below how foods start out low in sodium, and go up with processing.
| Your Goal: To stay below 3,000 mg of sodium for the whole day. |
||
| Fresh Pork 3 oz. 59 mg |
Bacon 4 slices 548 mg |
Ham 3 oz. 1,114 mg |
| Turkey Breast Home baked, 2 oz. 37 mg |
Deli Turkey Breast Oven roasted, 2 oz. 444 mg |
Turkey Hot Dog 1.6 oz. 484 mg |
| Corn One ear 1 mg |
Corn Flakes 1 cup 256 mg |
Canned corn 1 cup 384 mg |
REMEMBER: Processed foods are the largest contributor of sodium in the diet. Read labels, and choose more unprocessed (fresh) foods versus processed foods.