'Less Salt, Please' banner of world Salt Awareness Week

The week of March 11-17 is the sixth annual World Salt Awareness Week. The theme this year, “Less Salt, Please,” highlights reducing the sodium content of food prepared outside the home, such as in restaurants and other settings.

This year’s theme encourages chefs, caterers, and the prepared food industry to decrease the amount of sodium they add to food and to purchase lower sodium ingredients and products. Prepared meals and processed foods can contain high levels of sodium.

A leading risk factor for strokes and heart attack is high blood pressure, which a diet high in sodium can contribute to.

The maximum amount of sodium that the average, healthy American aged two through fifty should consume per day is 2,300 mg of sodium. If an individual is 51 or older, has high blood pressure, diabetes or kidney disease, the recommended amount of sodium consumed per day should be 1,500 mg or less. It is estimated by the Centers for Disease control (CDC) that the average American consumes 3,400 mg of sodium per day.

Most of the sodium we eat, more than 75 percent, comes from packaged, processed, store-bought, and restaurant foods. That means the sodium is in our food before we even buy it. Regular and low-fat deli and packaged lunch meat, dressings and frozen dinners are among the culprits that are usually high in sodium.

The CDC has recommendations that you may follow to lower your sodium intake:

• At restaurants, ask for low sodium options or ask for no added salt on your meal.

• Ask restaurants for nutrition information, or check online before you go to find the lower sodium options.

• Choose to purchase healthy options and talk with your grocer or favorite restaurant about stocking lower sodium food choices.

• Read the Nutrition Facts label while shopping to find the lowest sodium options of your favorite foods.

• Eat a diet rich in fresh fruits and vegetables and frozen fruits and vegetables without sauce.

• Limit processed foods high in sodium.

• Support initiatives that reduce sodium in foods in cafeterias and vending machines.

The CDC also recommends consuming enough potassium. Dietary potassium can help to lower blood pressure and reduce the effect of sodium on blood pressure. Potassium is found in many foods, such as fresh fruits, vegetables, beans, peas, and milk products.

The CDC is working to lower sodium intake at the community level through the Sodium Reduction in Communities Program. This three-year effort encourages communities to reduce sodium in school meals, at senior centers, in restaurants, and at government facilities. You can help by spreading the word to similar organizations in your community to ask for “less salt, please.”

Ashley Houtwed, a registered dietician with Sidney Regional Healthcare, says that while there is salt in almost everything, there are ways to reduce sodium consumed. Houtwed suggests that people read food labels to make sure there is “no salt added,” and to compare sodium content amongst items. And she stated that instead of using table salt, use a salt substitute like one of the varieties of Mrs. Dash, or you may want to try different spices and powders which are lower sodium than table salt. Houtwed added that fresh produce is best for lower sodium content rather than canned goods, and there are lower sodium varieties of fresh produce on shelves now. She added that to save money, always purchase what is in season at the time.

For more information on sodium and its food sources, visit http://www.cdc.gov/salt/food.htm.

For more dietary information, visit http://www.dietaryguidelines.gov