As a child, Janie remembers watching her father sprinkle salt on everything — cantaloupe, tomato juice, grapefruit. “Everything tastes better with a little salt,” he’d say.
“Why don’t you taste it first?” she said. “It may not even need salt.” He heard her, but didn’t listen. Now Janie’s doctor advises her to limit her salt intake. Why? she wonders. The only attention she’s paid to how much salt she eats is after the fact, when she notices her rings are hard to slip off (due to water retention). Even then, all she knows is that she’s eaten too much salt. But where did it come from?
Salt is sodium chloride. These two terms are used interchangeably. For example, when one buys a box of Morton’s “When It Rains It Pours” salt, it’s listed as sodium on the nutrition facts.
The 2010 federal sodium guideline recommends adults limit their daily intake of salt to less than 2,300 milligrams (mg), which is a mere teaspoon. Salt in moderation is good for the body, but the brain, heart and muscles need only 500 mgs a day to work properly.
Most of the salt we consume doesn’t come out of the shaker, but is contained in the processed foods we eat. Sodium is found in unsuspected places. A few examples may surprise you — tomato ketchup (160 mg), Dijon mustard (120 mg), one slice of whole wheat bread (160 mg), pasta sauce (1,054 mg per cup), and milk and yogurt (100 mg per cup). Even pre-packaged bags of lettuce have about 70 mg of salt, although this is not added but absorbed through the soil. A cup of cornflakes has about the same amount of sodium as a cup of potato chips. You taste the salt on the chips because it’s on the surface, while it’s mixed throughout the cereal. Other foods high in sodium are processed cheeses, margarine, dill pickles and many salad dressings. Canned soups are notorious culprits. And what is soup without crackers, especially SALTtines? Red flag! Red flag!
Not everyone has the same sensitivity to salt — for some it elevates their blood pressure, increases their water retention and adds a few pounds, while others experience none of these. There has never been a randomized, controlled clinical study (the gold standard!) examining the effect that consuming 1,500 mg of sodium a day has on the risk of heart attack, stroke or death. “While studies have shown that lowering blood pressure reduces these risks,” says Dr. Neils Graudal, a Danish researcher, “we really have no idea if cutting back on salt protects our hearts. There’s no evidence that directly links low sodium intake to better survival.” He thinks it’s unrealistic to expect anyone to adhere to the new 2,300 mg guideline, considering that one store-bought muffin (590 mg) and a cup of chicken noodle soup (840 mg) come in at two-thirds the daily limit.
If you’re salt sensitive and want to cut back, here’s how. Become a label reader. By law, nutrition facts must be listed in a box on the back or side of each product. The good news is that an increasing number of foods are becoming available with reduced sodium. In some of these you won’t even notice the absence of salt — others you will. Look for products that say low, reduced, light or no sodium on their labels. Rinsing and draining canned foods like kidney and garbanzo beans will eliminate 40% of the sodium. Beware of products that are low in fat. Extra sodium is added to enhance flavor. Fat-free sour cream has about half the calories, but twice the salt of regular sour cream.
Restaurants add salt to make the food tasty — so tasty that they (and processed foods) deliver 77% of the salt in an average American diet. Do you want a dinner out to cost you a couple of days worth of sodium? Ask your waiter to request the chef to go light on the salt. Order grilled and steamed foods and avoid stir-fries and soups.
When cooking at home experiment — try different herbs, spices, and even a squeeze or two of your favorite citrus fruits instead of reaching for the salt shaker — and if you have time, make your own sauces, marinades and salad dressings. Decide to salt one time only — either when cooking or at the table. Adding salt at the last minute gives a more immediate flavor impact. Substitute kosher salt for regular salt. It contains almost 25% less sodium because of its large crystal size.
Cut back on your salt gradually to give your palate time to adjust. After about a month you’ll discover that the less you use, the less you’ll want.
