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I recently attended a workshop on Nutrition and Salt and learned some pretty shocking facts. Take note of how much sodium (which is a large component of salt) you are consuming on a daily basis- chances are you are consuming much more than you should be!

We live in a society where convenience is of top priority. Let’s face it, most of us are really busy! When it comes to food, convenience means pre-packaged, processed foods that are unfortunately packed full of sodium. What is scary is that approximately 70- 90% of Canadians (depending on age and gender) exceed the Tolerable Upper Level (UL) of sodium on a daily basis! Keeping this in mind, we also know that sodium intake has a direct effect on blood pressure and cardiovascular risk, and having a high blood pressure is considered a leading mortality risk factor. Cardio- and cerebrovascular diseases are also the #1 cause of death in Canada.

Why it’s necessary:

We all need some sodium in our diets to maintain keep our fluid and electrolyte balance in check and keep muscles and nerves running smoothly. We lose sodium through our kidneys (when we urinate) and also when we sweat. Sodium also plays some important functional roles in our food supply such as taste, controlling moisture content and ripening of cheeses and yeast fermentation in bread. Sodium is also a preservative and inhibits bacterial growth in many foods.

What is recommended?

Health Canada recommends that we consume about 1200mg-1500mg/day depending on age and no more than the Upper Level of 2300mg per day. Endurance athletes often require more than this due to excess loss of sodium through sweat.

Proper nutrition is also a very important lifestyle factor in decreasing your risk of high blood pressure. Read on to find out how you can decrease your sodium intake:

1. Eat out less: Restaurant and fast foods are dangerously high in sodium. A typical meal at a restaurant like Joey Tomato’s can easily push the 5000mg of sodium mark. This is almost 4 times what we need in one whole day!! Try to limit eating out to only 1-2 times per week maximum. The simple act of making your own food will significantly reduce your sodium intake (not to mention that it will save you money!).

2. Read Labels: Pay attention to boxed, frozen, and canned foods in the store. Read the nutrition label to get a good idea of how much salt is in the particular product. Try to keep convenience pre-packaged foods to a minimum, but when you must buy them, try to get a product with “no added salt” or a “low sodium” product. When reading the label, look at the top to see what portion they are talking about and then take a look at the sodium content- compare 2-3 brands of the same item to see which is lowest in sodium. Brands can vary greatly (make sure that you are comparing the same portion size though).

3. Make veggies and/or fruit the focus of your meal: As adults, we should be getting a minimum of 4 servings of veggies and 3 servings of fruit per day. A serving is 1 cup of raw veggies or fruit or ½ cup of cooked veggies or fruit. Include at least 3 different colors in your day and go easy on the sauces. Use olive oil, garlic, ginger and herbs and spices to flavour instead of salt. Experiment with a new recipe each week to avoid boredom.

4. Limit high salt foods as much as possible: Limit processed meats (such as ham, turkey roll); cured meats (such as bacon, corned beef); processed cheese and cheese spreads; pickles, condiments (ketchup, mustard) and salty sauces (soy sauce).

5. Get rid of the salt shaker: Salt is made from sodium (sodium chloride). With all of the salt in the food that we eat, we certainly do not need any extra. Only bring out the salt shaker if you are having company over or it’s a special occasion. Try to keep it hidden otherwise (or gradually decrease the amount that you use). Or make a goal to only have the salt shaker out on weekends.

It’s not realistic to work on all of the above tips at once, especially if you are used to really salty foods. Give your tastes buds some time to adapt to this change.  Focus on 1 or 2 of the above tips at a time and gradually decrease the salt in your diet. Eventually your taste buds will adapt and change- you will start to appreciate the true tastes and flavours of your food! Eventually you will not need nearly as much sodium as you are used to!