Getting the Sodium Out and the Flavor Into Your Heart Healthy Diet

Mary Saucier Choate, M.S., R.D., L.D. Food and Nutrition Educator

Co-op Food Stores

What You Will Learn Today• Sodium Basics

• Why Worry About Sodium Intake?

• Which Foods Are High In Sodium?

• Easy Ways to Lower the SODIUM and Increase the FLAVOR

What Is the Difference Between Salt and Sodium?

• Table salt is sodium chloride:

• Salt is roughly: 40% sodium

60% chloride

Sodium is one ingredient found in salt.

What’s In A Teaspoon?• A teaspoon of salt contains about 2,300

mg of sodium

Wow! That’s a lotof sodium!

One teaspoon of salt has about a day’s supply of sodium for most people

•Sea salt is “chunkier” than table salt; so a teaspoon of it will contain more air (between the chunks) and less salt.

•One level teaspoon (6 grams) of table salt = 2,300 mg sodium.

•One teaspoon of sea salt (5 grams) =1960 mg of sodium

•Sea salt may a have a nutritionally insignificant amount of additional minerals, which may add a subtle flavor difference.

What Is the Difference Between Table Salt and Sea Salt?

Current Sodium Consumption is Too High

Per day:

• Institute of Medicine’s new recommendation for adults

• Up To Age 50: 1500 mg

• Age 50 to 70: 1300 mg

• Age 70 and over: 1200 mg

Most people eat 2-3 times as much sodium as they should!

Current Sodium Consumption is Too High

• Institute of Medicine’s Upper Limit for Sodium = 2300 mg

• This is the maximum level that is likely to pose no risk of adverse effects for healthy individuals. – May be too high for individuals who already

have hypertension or who are under the care of a health care professional.

Current Sodium Consumption is Too High

Current average consumption:

4000 mg/day

DASH Study Results(Dietary Approach to Stop Hypertension)

DASH-Sodium • Three different sodium levels• Usual (Control) diet and DASH diet (rich in produce, low fat dairy, whole grains and nuts)• The 3 sodium levels were:

– a “higher” intake of 3,300 mg per day– an “intermediate” intake of 2,400 mg per day– a “lower” intake of 1,500 mg per day.

Results: blood pressure lowered with lower sodium diet.

DASH Study Results(Dietary Approach to Stop Hypertension)

DASH-Sodium • At every sodium level, Blood Pressure was

lower for the DASH diet compared with the “regular” control diet.

• Lower sodium lower BP– for both the usual and DASH diets.

Why Worry About Sodium Intake?• High sodium intake raises risk for:

– High Blood Pressure

High blood pressureis a serious matter!

High Blood Pressure Is the #1 Risk Factor For….

• Stroke– a blood vessel to the brain bursts or gets

clogged– nerve cells in brain die rapidly

Stroke is the #3 killer and a leading cause of severe, long-term disability

High Blood Pressure Is A Major Risk Factor For….

• Heart Attack– occurs when the blood supply to part of the

heart muscle is severely reduced or stopped

Coronary heart disease is the leading killer

of men and women in the U.S.

High Blood Pressure Is the #1 Risk Factor For….

• Congestive Heart Failure– heart is unable to pump enough blood for the

body's needs

High Blood Pressure Also Leads to…

• Kidney Failure– over time, blood vessels of the kidneys

narrow and thicken

High Blood Pressure Impairs…

• Vision and can cause Blindness– blood vessels in eyes rupture or bleed when

blood pressure is high

Excess Sodium Intake May Play A Role In Other Diseases Such As…

• Osteoporosis

• Stomach cancer

• Kidney stones

But I never use the salt shaker!

Where Does Salt Intake Come From?

Salt intake comes mostly from processed foods and meals that are eaten away from home.

77%

12%

6% 5%

Processed food

Naturally Occurring

At the Table

During Cooking

Easy Ways to Lower Sodium

Read the Label

• If a food contains 140 mg or less of sodium, then it is low in sodium.

Label Lingo- Level 1• Sodium Free/Salt Free

Less than 5 mg sodium per serving

• Very Low Sodium

35 mg or less per serving

• Low Sodium

140 mg or less sodium per serving

• Unsalted or No Added Salt

No salt added during processing; does not necessarily mean “sodium-free”

Label Lingo- Level 2• Reduced/Less Sodium

At least 25% less sodium per serving than the same food with no sodium reduction

• Light in Sodium/Lightly Salted

At least 50% less sodium

• Low Sodium Meal

140 milligrams or less sodium per 100 grams (3½ ounces)

Compare 3 Kinds of Oat Products

0 mg 240 mg

Old fashioned rolled oats Instant oatmeal

190mg

Sodium is much

higher for many

processed oat cereals.

Cheerios

• Some breakfast cereals

Sodium= 400mg per serving!

Read the Label

Compare Turkey Products

75 mg

Sodium is much higher for processed turkey products with only half the serving size.

4 oz

2 oz

430 mg

450 mg

460 mg

430 mg

410 mg

360 mg

Compare Tomato Products

66 mg

Sodium is much higher for processed tomato products.

360 mg

½ cup1 cup

It Is A Challenge To Keep Sodium Low

• Try dividing your sodium budget into 3 meals and 2 snacks.

• You can see how foods fit or don’t fit into your goals.

Sodium Budget Example #1

• GOAL 1500 mg/day

• 500 mg per mealor

• 400 mg per meal (1200) plus

• 2 snacks of 150 mg each (300)

Sodium Budget Example #2

GOAL 2300 mg/day =

• 770 mg per meal

or

• 650 mg per meal (1950)

plus

• 2 snacks of 175 mg each (350)

What Do You Eat In a Day?

• Let’s see how different food choices can dramatically affect sodium intake

Low-Sodium Day1832 calories, 536 mg sodium, 34 g fiber.417

Low-Sodium Day1832 calories, 536 mg sodium, 34 g fiber.417

BREAKFAST: Oatmeal with skim milk, orange juice and berries

SNACK: Light yogurt and strawberries

LUNCH: Chicken rice salad with oil and vinegar

SNACK: Air-popped popcorn

DINNER: Baked fish, potato, light sour cream, asparagus with tomatoes. Baked apple with pecans

114

96

74

2

131

High-Sodium Day1880 calories, 3276 mg sodium, 16 g fiber.3547

High-Sodium Day1702 calories, 3276 mg sodium, 14 g fiber.3547

BREAKFAST: Cornflakes with skim milk, toast with margarine, orange juice

SNACK: Banana

LUNCH: Subway turkey deli sandwich, barbecued potato chips, diet soda

SNACK: Pretzels

DINNER: Rotisserie chicken dinner

576

1

1238

486

1246

Sodium Savvy

Being aware of the sodium content of food can make a BIG difference in your sodium intake.

Using whole unprocessed foods in the low sodium meals saved more than 3130 mg of sodium!

Cooking And Meal Planning With Less Sodium

Tips for making the sodium disappear

and the flavor burst through!

Substitute Fresh for Processed

• Instant mashed potatoes, frozen potatoes

• Fresh potato (baked or mashed)

3

600

440

Substitute Fresh for Processed

• Pickled foods • Fresh vegetables

1360

Substitute Fresh for Processed

• Processed or canned deli meat, sausage, ham

• Fresh meat, poultry, fish, low sodium deli choices

62600

Substitute Lightly Processed, Low Sodium Whole Grains for

Refined, Salty Processed Products• High sodium breakfast

cereals, rice and pasta mixes, regular crackers and breads

• Low sodium whole grain breads, crackers, pasta

• Whole grain foods (not boxed mixes)

184 175

780 1160

5

7

0

100

Compare These Cans of Tomatoes

• Regular diced tomatoes

• Diced tomatoes without added salt

50389

Compare Pasta Sauce

• Regular • Without added salt

58025

Beware of Convenience Foods

• Frozen foods • Boxed mixes

1240

1450

750

1035

Beware of Cheese• Use cheese sparingly

• 400 mg sodium per 28 g (1/4 cup)

But only

33 mg sodium per teaspoon.

33

Pick a sharp cheeseand use sparingly.

Avoid Breaded Fried Foods3-oz. broiled skinless chicken breast = 64 mg

sodium

3-oz. breaded, fried breast = more than 500 mg sodium!

Add Flavor, Not Salt

• Use herbs, spices and other no-salt-added seasonings

Add Flavor, Not Salt

Beef: Dry mustard, nutmeg, onion, sage, pepper, ginger, garlic

Lamb: Garlic, curry, mint, rosemary

Chicken: Paprika, thyme, sage, parsley, curry, ginger, garlic

Fish: Dry mustard, paprika, curry, lemon juice, dill, basil

Eggs: Pepper, dry mustard, paprika, tarragon

Pork: Ginger, cinnamon, curry, onion, pepper, garlic

Add Flavor, Not Salt

Asparagus: Lemon juice, caraway seed

Green Beans: Lemon juice, nutmeg, onion

Broccoli: Lemon juice, oregano

Cabbage: Mustard, caraway seed, vinegar

Carrots: Allspice, ginger, cloves

Cauliflower: Nutmeg, celery, seed

Peas: Onion, mint

Potatoes: Parsley, chives

Squash: Ginger, basil, oregano

Tomatoes: Basil, oregano, sage, thyme

Add Flavor, Not Salt

•Replace dried herbs and spices at least yearly for the most potent flavor.

•Store them away from heat and light.

•Save (loads of) money and get the highest quality herbs and spices by purchasing just the amounts you need from the Co-op’s bulk foods department.

Add Flavor, Not Salt

Use low- or no-salt mixtures

•Mrs. Dash

•Low sodium Vegit

•Salt-free Spike

•Lemon pepper

•Salt-free Italian seasoning

Add Flavor, Not Salt

•Lemon juice

•Balsamic vinegar

•Wine

•Beer

•Salsa

•Liquid smoke flavoring

REVIEW

• Lowering sodium intake -can lower BP significantly-results in lower disease risk

REVIEW• Most of our sodium comes from

packaged foods

• Label reading- best way to avoid excess sodium

• Flavor enhancers are inexpensive and delicious

• Use your sodium “budget”

FOR MORE INFO

Most recipes under 300 mg sodium.

Almost half are low sodium- under 140 mg sodium

FOR MORE INFO

American Heart Association Recommendation- Sodiumhttp://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=4708

Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2005 -Chapter 8 Sodium and Potassiumhttp://www.health.gov/dietaryguidelines/dga2005/document/html/chapter8.htm

“Your Guide to Lowering High Blood Pressure With DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension)” www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/public/heart/hbp/dash/new_dash.pdf

Your Turn

How will YOU lower your

sodium intake?

THANK YOU!

QUESTIONS?