Salt Assault!

Beware of hidden sodium in your food

Label Lingo

• ‘Sodium free’—5 mg* or less per serving
• ‘Low sodium’—Less than 140 mg per serving
• ‘Moderate sodium’—Less than 400 mg per serving
• ‘High sodium’—More than 400 mg per serving
• ‘Reduced sodium’—25 percent less than the regular product (could still be high)

*milligrams

Salt Content Varies Widely

Here’s what researchers found when they surveyed the sodium content in seemingly similar products:

• Medium fries 320-640 mg*
• Large cheeseburger 1,150-1,305 mg
• Caesar salad with grilled chicken 860-1,830 mg
• Spaghetti sauce 270-770 mg
• Salad dressing 150-430 mg
• Canned soups 340-890 mg
• Frozen chicken nuggets 380-470 mg
• Frozen pepperoni pizza 400-1,350 mg
• ‘Lunchables’ 600-1,400 mg

*milligrams per serving

So you took the salt shaker off your table and even reduced the salt in recipes. Don’t congratulate yourself just yet. Foods with surprisingly high-sodium levels are probably lurking in your pantry and refrigerator.

Eating high-sodium foods has a direct effect on blood pressure, says family medicine physician William Kracht, D.O., of Lehigh Valley Hospital and Health Network. High blood pressure, or hypertension, leads to heart attacks, strokes and kidney problems.

“Government guidelines recommend no more than 2,300 milligrams (about a teaspoon) of sodium per day for a healthy adult,” says Janine Gilboy, registered dietitian with Lehigh Valley Hospital and Health Network. That’s much more than the 500 milligrams some experts say your body actually needs. Yet the average American consumes 4,000 milligrams, mostly from processed and restaurant foods. “I notice higher blood pressure in my patients who’ve eaten out a lot since the last checkup,” Kracht says.

A new study by the Center for Science in the Public Interest reveals that sodium content can vary dramatically in similar food products (see chart at right). And even items that don’t taste salty, like bread or cereal, can harbor high amounts of sodium. What can you do to reduce your family’s risk for high blood pressure?

Rely on herbs and spices for flavor. “Salt is an acquired taste,” Gilboy says. “You can re-educate your palate.”

Be a vigilant label-reader. All packaged foods have a sodium content line under Nutrition Facts. To stay within your chosen daily limit, don’t let any one meal or snack get too sodium-laden. And remember to check the serving size. If you eat twice as much as a serving (which can be fairly small), double the sodium milligrams.

Beware of restaurant soups, cheese sauces and gravies; they’re usually high in sodium. Your best bet is plain grilled fish or chicken and steamed vegetables.

If you eat at fast-food outlets, ask for a nutrition fact sheet.

Watch your children’s salt intake. Most processed “kid foods” have alarmingly high sodium levels, causing high blood pressure among more teens and young people than ever before.

Be extra-careful if you have high blood pressure, diabetes or a heart problem. “High sodium intake can decrease the effectiveness of your medications,” Kracht says. (See story on blood pressure medications at right.)

Want to Know More? For a detailed list of sodium levels in processed and restaurant foods, or suggestions for using herbs instead of salt, click above.

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