What’s in the Shaker?

The Salt craze has hit and the question that always seems to come up is “how much do I need”. The Institute of Medicine has established a level of sodium that Canadians need on a daily basis, which equates to 1500 mg, and an upper level of 2300 mg. 1500 mg indicates the dose needed to maintain a healthy body. Sodium is needed by our bodies to regulate our blood pressure, balance the fluids in and out of our body’s cells, and maintain muscle and nerve function. 2300 mg is the dose, which for many individuals, is safe for your health. There are a number of situations when the amount of sodium we consume through our diet must be well-monitored. People with high blood pressure or kidney issues must monitor their sodium intake even more closely to prevent adding more stress to their body. Your doctor or dietitian will be able to give more individualized recommendations if you have any of these specific issues.

So how much sodium is 2300 mg and where do we get it through our diet? One teaspoon of salt daily is equal to 2300 mg, and about ⅔ of a teaspoon is equal to approximately 1500 mg. Studies have indicated that about 11% of the sodium in our diet is naturally occurring in our foods, about 12% added to cooking processes and 77% from processed foods!! Considering that we can control the amount of processed foods we eat, that last bit is huge!

Below are some foods that we may not consider having a sodium level associated with them:
• 1 medium apple = 1 mg
• 1 medium banana = 1 mg
• 1 cup asparagus = 3 mg
• 1 cup tomatoes = 8 mg
• 3 oz roasted skinless chicken breast (plain) = 38 mg
• 1 cup 1% milk = 113 mg

Stick to the perimeter of your grocery store when completing the majority of your grocery list, that way, when you do add salt to meals and dishes, you can control the amount you put in. Packaged and processed foods are needed to keep our cupboards stocked, and add some more flavourings to meals, but this is the area where we need to read the label a little more just to see how much added sodium is in the particular product.

Adding physical activity in your day means that you lose more sodium through your sweat, need more sodium to balance the fluids between your cells, and most importantly, maintain your blood pressure as your blood pumps more vigorously through your body. Though everyone exercises for different durations and at different intensities, this is an area to monitor, and make sure your sodium intake isn’t too low. It is best to speak to a dietitian or your doctor should you need individualized recommendations for your specific daily sodium intake.

http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/fn-an/nutrition/sodium/index-eng.php
http://webprod3.hc-sc.gc.ca/cnf-fce/index-eng.jsp