Shakin' It Up with the Skinny on Salt
The Danger is Not in the Shaker
-- By Laura Bofinger, Staff Writer
The keys to watching our sodium levels are to be aware of which foods have a high sodium content and to limit how much of those foods we eat. Practice checking the nutrition facts labels of packaged foods for the exact sodium content per serving. Some label terms can help our purchase decisions:
|
Term |
Means |
| sodium free or salt free | less than 5 milligrams of sodium per serving |
| low sodium |
140 milligrams or less of sodium per serving |
| reduced or less sodium | at least 25% less sodium than the food’s standard serving |
| light sodium |
50% less sodium than the food's standard serving |
|
unsalted or no salt added |
no salt added during processing, but could contain naturally occurring sodium |
Steps to Reduce Your Sodium
- Limit your use of the salt shaker. Try a shaker with smaller holes.
- Substitute salt seasoning with other flavorings, such as onion, garlic, lemon, vinegar, black pepper, or parsley.
- Choose fresh, frozen or canned vegetables without added salt.
- Cook fresh or frozen fish, poultry and meat more often than canned or processed forms.
- Compare the amounts of sodium in various brands of frozen dinners, packaged mixes, cereals, cheese, breads, salad dressings, soups and sauces. Sodium content varies widely among different brands.
- Rinse canned beans and vegetables to remove added salt before cooking.
- Choose foods labeled “low sodium,” “reduced sodium” or “sodium free.”
- Know how much sodium is in your favorite condiments, especially soy sauce, steak sauce, ketchup and salsa. Limit your intake accordingly.
- Avoid foods with MSG (monosodium glutamate), particularly when dining out. You can ask to have your meal prepared without MSG.
- Try to limit your daily sodium intake to less than 2,300 milligrams.
