Despite health alerts and warnings both Americans and Canadians are still getting too much salt in their diets.
You can take your salt shaker off your table, and even stop using salt when cooking. But the majority of your sodium intake comes from processed and prepared foods.
A recent study took a look at Chinese restaurants and reported that depending on the dish you choose you might be getting up to two days worth of your recommended sodium intake. Just from one meal!
Depending on where you get your information from the daily recommended sodium intake is anywhere from 1300mg up to 2000 mg. Seniors, children and anyone with heart concerns should have less than 1300mg daily.
Now keep in mind that one teaspoon of salt is the equivalent to 2300 mg of sodium here are some sodium content examples from Chinese restaurants:
– Chicken with Black Bean Sauce: 3800 mg — Fried rice: up to 3600 mg — Eggplant in Garlic Sauce: 2000 mg — Mandarin Chicken: 1150 mg — Chow Mein: 1020 mg — Hot & Sour soup: 1370 mg
Even vegetable dishes can contain high amounts of sodium, depending on the sauces used. So be careful when you think you’re opting for the “healthier” choice.
Chinese restaurants are of course not the only culprits. Here’s a short list of some of the worst grocery store culprits when it comes to sodium:
– soup — ham and bacon — deli meat — salad dressing — frozen dinners — mixes for pancakes, muffins, etc.
These foods are best avoided for the most part, unless you can find low-sodium options — more on that in a minute.
To help you figure out just how much sodium you’re getting you can check out the nutrition label on the food’s packaging. Food labels are required to list certain nutrients, including sodium content.
You’ll see both mg listings and % of daily value listed on labels. You can easily add up the total mg or % of all your packaged foods to get your daily intake. Of course your goal is to not go above the recommended mg for your age/health group or 100%.
So what about packages covered with claims like “low- sodium” and “sodium-free”? The FDA regulates sodium labeling, below is a basic listing of some of the labels you might see.
Sodium-free: less than 5mg per serving
Low-sodium: less than 140mg per serving
Reduced sodium: at least 25% less than original or reference food
Salt-free: same as Sodium-free
Unsalted: no salt was added, and the reference food is generally ‘salted’ (eg: butter or margarine)
So pay close attention to what the label is saying — there’s a big different between ‘reduced’ and ‘low’ sodium. If you’re purchasing something that has reduced sodium, you may still be getting more than your daily recommended intake!
And don’t forget — the content listed on the label is only useful if you’re sticking to the indicated serving size. Portion control also plays a major role in controlling your sodium intake.
So the next time you’re grocery shopping check those nutrition labels carefully, and don’t be satisfied with reading “reduced sodium” on the packaging — find out just how much you’re getting per serving.
And the next time you hit the Chinese buffet — don’t think that just because it’s veggie or fish it’s a healthy choice. Skip the soups and sauces, and opt for white or brown rice instead of fried versions.
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Tags: diet, functional foods
