Watch your Na intake...

 

 

 

 

Na = Sodium

 

 

 

Sodium helps your body function properly by assisting the muscles and nerves, and regulating blood pressure, among other functions. We need a certain amount of sodium in our everyday diets, but as Americans we way overdo it on the sodium. Have you been trying to eat healthy and exercise and wonder why you feel bloated? I bet you probably need to check your daily sodium intake. Sodium can make you retain water. A lot of foods naturally have sodium in them, and we add extra salt to it to "make it taste good". Not only can a lower sodium diet help you lose weight, but it also can help with high blood pressure and help to prevent heart disease and stroke. Now I know we all want to avoid those things. “Americans of all ages, regardless of individual risk factors, can improve their heart health and reduce their risk of cardiovascular disease by restricting their daily consumption of sodium to less than 1,500 mg,” American Heart Association chief executive officer Nancy Brown said in a statement.

Ok so we know that we should reduce our sodium intake, but it is much harder than you would think. The best way to eat is to eat foods that do not have nutrition labels, fresh fruits, vegetables, grains, and meats that are not packaged. This is not always possible for everyone so the best thing to do is to read your nutrition labels. Make sure you pay attention to the serving size. It may say only 250mg of sodium, but for what serving size. This is very important. I was very surprised when I started looking at the sodium content in my foods.

Sodium chloride or table salt is approximately 40% sodium. Understand just how much sodium is in salt so you can take measures to control your intake.

Americans’ sodium intake breaks down like this:

77% from packaged and restaurant food

12% is naturally occurring in foods

11% from adding salt to food while cooking or at the table

1/4 teaspoon salt = 600 mg sodium
1/2 teaspoon salt = 1,200 mg sodium
3/4 teaspoon salt = 1,800 mg sodium
1 teaspoon salt = 2,400 mg sodium

 

 

 canned soup as much as 950 milligrams per serving

a frozen pizza as much as 2,500 milligrams

canned peas as much as 800 milligrams per serving
pre-made spaghetti sauces have over 1,000 milligrams per cup

one cup of macaroni and cheese has almost 1,000 milligrams of sodium

 



 

Food (100g)	Salt (mg)	Food (100g)	Salt (mg)	Food (100g)	Salt (mg)
Apple juice, bottled	1	Cocoa, dry	6	Peanut butter	607
Apple, raw unpeeled	1	Cocoa, processed	717	Peanuts, roasted	5
Applesauce, sweetened	2	Coconut, fresh	23	Peanuts, salted	418
Asparagus, canned	236	Coffee, beverage,	1	Pears	2
Asparagus, fresh	1	Coffee, instant, dry	72	Peas, cooked	2
Avocado	4	Collards, cooked	25	Peas, dried	40
Bacon, Canadian	2,500	Cookies , plain	365	Peas, green, canned	236
Bacon, cooked	1,021	Cookies, Fig bars	252	Pecans, shelled	0
Baking powder	11,000	Cookies, oatmeal	170	Peppers, green	13
Banana	1	Corn, sweet canned	236	Perch	79
Barly, pearled	3	Corn, sweet, cooked	8	Pickles, dill	1,428
Bean sprouts, cooked	4	Cowpeas, dry, cooked	8	Pickles, relish, sweet	712
Bean, canned	236	Crabmeat, canned	1,000	Pie	350
Beans, canned with pork and tomato sauce	463	Crackers, Graham	670	Pie crust, baked	617
Beans, Lima	1	Crackers, saltines	1,100	Pike, walleye	51
Beans, Lima canned	236	Cranberry juice or sauce	1	Pineapple, raw or canned	1
Beans, snap green, cooked	4	Cream	40	Pizza, cheese	702
Beans, white common, cooked	7	Cucumber	6	Plums	2
Beef hamburger	47	Dates	1	Popcorn, salted with oil	1,940
Beef hash, canned	540	Doughnuts	500	Pork	65
Beef pie or stew, commercial	400	Duck	74	Pork canned ham	1,100
Beef, corned	1,740	Egg, whole, raw	74	Pork, cured ham	930
Beef, dried	4,300	Eggplant, cooked	1	Potato chips	1,000
Beef, roasted broiled or stewed	60	Endive, curly	14	Potatoes, baked, boiled or french fried	5
Beets canned	236	Figs	2	Potatoes, mashed salted	331
Beets, cooked	43	Flounder	78	Pretzels	1,680
Beverage, fruit drink	0	Flour	2	Prunes	4
Beverages, beer	7	Fruit cocktail	5	Pumpkin, canned	2
Beverages, wine	5	Gelatin, dry	0	Radishes	18
Biscuits	630	Grapefruit, fresh, canned or juice	1	Raisins, dried	27
Blackberries	1	Grapes	3	Raspberries	1
Bluefish, cooked	104	Haddock, battered	177	Rhubarb	2
Bouillon cubes	24,000	Haddock, raw	61	Rice, cooked and salted	374
Bread	500	Heart, beef	86	Rice, dry	5
Broccoli, cooked	10	Herring	74	Rolls, bread or sweet	500
Brussel sprouts, cooked	10	Honey	5	Rutabagas	4
Butter, salted	826	Honeydew melon	12	Rye wafers	882
Butter, unsalted	10	Ice cream, vanilla	87	Salad dressing	1,000
Cabbage	20	Jams and preserves	12	Salmon, canned	387
Cakes	300	Jellies	17	Salmon, fresh	64
Candy, caramels, fudge	200	Kale, cooked	43	Sardines, canned	400
Candy, hard	30	Lamb, lean	70	Sauerkraut	747
Cantaloupe	12	Lard	0	Sausage, Bologna	1,300
Carrots	40	Lasagna	490	Sausage, Frankfurter	1,100
Carrots canned	236	Lemon, juice or fresh	1	Sausage, pork	958
Cashews, unsalted	15	Lettuce	9	Scallops,	265
Cauliflower	10	Lime, fresh or juice	1	Shrimp	150
Celery, raw	126	Liver, beef	184	Soup, canned	400
Cereal, Corn grits	1	Liver, pork	111	Spaghetti with meatballs, canned	488
Cereal, Cornmeal	1	Lobster	210	Spaghetti, dry	2
Cereal, Farina, dry	2	Macar0ni,cheese	543	Spinach, raw	71
Cereal, Oatmeal, cooked and salted	218	Macaroni, dry	2	Squash	1
Cereal, Oatmeal, dry	2	Margarine	987	Strawberries	1
Cereal, Rice flakes	987	Milk	50	Sugar, brown	300
Cereal, wheat flakes	1,000	Milk, buttermilk	130	Sugar, white	1
Cereal, wheat, puffed	4	Milk, dried	549	Sunflower seeds	30
Cereal, wheat, shredded	3	Milk, evaporated	106	Sweet potatoes	12
Cereals bran, wheat, crude	9	Molasses, dark	96	Syrup	68
Cereals, commercial	1,100	Molasses, light	15	Tapioca, dry	3
Cheese, cheddar	620	Muffins, plain	441	Tomato juice, canned	200
Cheese, cottage	406	Mushrooms	14	Tomato ketchup	1,042
Cheese, cream	296	Mushrooms, canned	400	Tomato, canned	130
Cheese, Mozzarella	373	Mustard greens	18	Tomato, fresh	3
Cheese, Parmesan	1,862	Mustard, prepared yellow	1,252	Tongue, beef	61
Cheese, processed	1,189	Nectarine	6	Tuna in oil	800
Cheese, Swiss	260	Noodles, dry	5	Turkey,	82
Cherries, Raw	2	Oil, corn	0	Turnips	34
Chicken pot pie, commercial	411	Okra,	2	Veal	80
Chicken, cooked, without skin	80	Olives, green	2,400	Vinegar	1
Chickpeas, dry	8	Onions, green	7	Waffles	475
Chicory	7	Orange , fresh	1	Walnuts	3
Chili con carne, canned with beans	531	Oysters, raw	73	Watermelon	1
Chili powder with seasonings	1,574	Pancakes	425	Wheat germ	827
Chocolate syrup	52	Papayas, raw	3	Yeast active	52
Chocolate, plain	4	Parsley	45	Yeast, compressed	16
Clams, hard, round	205	Parsnips, cooked	8	Yogurt	46
Clams, raw soft	36	Peaches	2

 

 Pay attention to the labels on the front of the packages. Just because it says no salt does not mean there is no sodium.

Salt/Sodium-Free → Less than 5 mg of sodium per serving

Very Low Sodium → 35 mg of sodium or less per serving

Low Sodium → 140 mg of sodium or less per serving

Reduced Sodium → At least 25% less sodium than in the original product

Light in Sodium or Lightly Salted → At least 50% less sodium than the regular product

No-Salt-Added or Unsalted → No salt is added during processing, but not necessarily sodium-free. Check the Nutrition Facts Label to be sure!

The best ways to cut your sodium are:

1. Read the Nutrition Facts Label to see how much sodium is in the foods you are considering. All Americans should consume less than 100% of the Daily Value or less than 2400 mg of sodium each day. Check the label for lower sodium choices and compare sodium in different brands of foods — like frozen meals, packaged soups, breads, dressings/sauces, and snack foods — and choose those with lower sodium.
   
2. Prepare your own food when you can.  Don’t salt foods before or during cooking, and limit salt shaker use at the table. We use no-salt instead of salt in our food.
   
3. Add Flavor Without Adding Sodium. Use herbs and spices instead of salt to add flavor to your foods. Try rosemary, oregano, basil, curry powder, cayenne pepper, ginger, fresh garlic or garlic powder (not garlic salt), black or red pepper, vinegar or lemon juice, and no-salt seasoning blends.
   
4. Get fresh when you can. Buy fresh or frozen (not processed) poultry, pork and lean meat rather than canned, smoked or processed meats like luncheon meats, sausages and corned beef. Fresh foods are generally lower in sodium.  Also, check the package on fresh meat and poultry to see if salt water or saline has been added.
   
5. Watch your veggies. Buy fresh, frozen (without sauce), or low sodium or no-salt-added canned vegetables.
   
6. Give sodium the “rinse.” Rinse sodium-containing canned foods, such as tuna, vegetables, and beans before using. This removes some of the sodium.
   
7. Examine your dairy products. Choose fat-free or low-fat milk and milk products, such as milk, yogurt, cheese and fortified soy milk, almond milk, coconut milk in place of processed cheese products and spreads, which are higher in sodium.
   
8. “Unsalt” your snacks. Choose unsalted nuts and seeds, and snack products such as chips and pretzels, that are marked “low sodium” or “no-salt-added” – or have a carrot or celery stick instead.
   
9. Consider your condiments. Sodium in soy sauce, ketchup, salad dressings, and seasoning packets can add up. Choose liquid aminos instead of soy sauce and no-salt-added ketchup, add oil and vinegar to a salad rather than bottled salad dressings, and choose spices that do not contain sodium, mrs. dash has a wide variety of seasonings and they are all salt free.
   
10. Speak up at restaurants. Ask to see the nutrition information in restaurants and choose a lower-sodium option. Ask for your meal to be prepared without salt and request that sauces and salad dressings be served “on the side,” then use less of them. You can also reduce your portion size – less food means less sodium! For example, ask the server to put half of your meal in a take out container before it comes to your table or split an entrée with a dinner companion.

Do not cut sodium completely out of your diet. You do need some daily in your life, but just be conscientious of your daily intake, and try to limit it.



Research shows that eating foods high in potassium can lower blood pressure by reducing the adverse effects of sodium on blood pressure. Examples of foods rich in potassium include potatoes, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, spinach, apricots, bananas, beans, low-fat or non-fat milk and yogurt, and juices (prune, carrot, tomato and orange).



Here is a sodium tracker to help you keep track of your daily intake. http://www.heart.org/idc/groups/heart-public/@wcm/@hcm/documents/downloadable/ucm_448279.pdf



Some yummy low sodium recipes are listed in these websites
http://www.health.com/health/gallery/0,,20515311,00.html
http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes_menus/collections/healthy_low_sodium_recipes
http://www.sodiumgirl.com/
http://thedailydish.us/thanksgiving/60-low-sodium-recipes-for-thanksgiving/