MAYO CLINIC – EIGHT POINTS ABOUT SODIUM INTAKE

1. The 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend limiting sodium to:

• less than 2,300 mg a day (1 tsp table salt = 2,325  mg of sodium)
• 1,500 mg if you’re age 51 or older, or if you are black, or if you have high blood pressure, diabetes or chronic kidney disease
• Keep in mind that these are upper limits, and less is usually best

2. The average American gets about 3,400 mg of sodium a day — much more than recommended

3. The vast majority of sodium in the typical American diet comes from foods that are processed and prepared

4. Labels:  Ingredients that contain additional sodium are:

• Monosodium glutamate (MSG)
• Baking soda
• Baking powder
• Disodium phosphate
• Sodium alginate
• Sodium nitrate or nitrite

5. Use herbs, spices and other flavorings to enhance foods

6. As you use less salt, your preference for it diminishes, allowing you to enjoy the taste of the food itself, with heart-healthy benefits

7. Health issues that we are vulnerable to when our body cannot handle all of the sodium

• – High Blood Pressure
• – Heart Disease
• – Stroke
• – Kidney Disease
• – Congestive Heart Failure

8. How our body handles sodium:

Your kidneys naturally balance the amount of sodium stored in your body for optimal health. When your sodium levels are low, your kidneys essentially hold on to the sodium. When sodium levels are high, your kidneys excrete the excess in urine.

But if for some reason your kidneys can’t eliminate enough sodium, the sodium starts to accumulate in your blood. Because sodium attracts and holds water, your blood volume increases. Increased blood volume makes your heart work harder to move more blood through your blood vessels, which increases pressure in your arteries.

To read the entire article, go to: www.mayoclinic.com/health/sodium/NU00284