Sodium Diet Advice
The average Western diet is too high in
sodium. In the US, average sodium-intake in the daily diet is 4,000-5,000
mg. In the UK, dietary sodium-intake averages 3,500 mg daily.
Dangers/Side Effects of Excess Sodium
Excess sodium intake is linked to: hypertension/high
blood pressure and heart disease, fluid retention (oedema) and kidney
stones. A high-sodium diet increases the need for potassium.
Sodium Diet Advice - 10 Recommendations
To help reduce your sodium intake, follow
these 10 low-sodium suggestions:
- But "lower-sodium" foods in
your diet, whenever possible.
- Check sodium-content on food labels:
choose lower sodium brands.
- Don't add salt when cooking.
- Go easy when adding salt at the table.
- Reduce intake of salty snacks.
- Reduce intake of fast food.
- Buy fresh cold meats instead of processed
varieties.
- Buy lower-sodium breakfast cereals.
- Check canned foods for sodium content.
If using foods canned in water, rinse thoroughly before eating.
- Switch from packet-soups to cans, or
fresh varieties.
Sodium Diet Advice - Higher Sodium Foods
to Avoid
If you need to reduce your sodium-intake,
due (eg.) to high blood pressure, please reduce your consumption of these
high-sodium foods.
- Hogmaws, ribs, and chitterlings.
- Smoked or cured meats like bacon, bologna,
hot dogs, ham, corned beef, luncheon meats, and sausage.
- Canned fish like tuna, salmon, sardines,
and mackerel. (Rinse before eating).
- Buttermilk - Although buttermilk is
high in sodium, 1 percent or skim buttermilk can be used in cooking
to replace whole milk or fat.
- Most cheese spreads and cheeses.
- Salty chips, nuts, pretzels, or pork
rinds.
- Some cold (ready to eat) cereals highest
in sodium, instant hot cereals.
- Quick cooking rice and instant noodles,
boxed mixes like rice, scalloped potatoes, macaroni and cheese, and
some frozen dinners, pot pies and pizza.
- Regular canned vegetables.
- Pickled foods like herring, pickles,
relish, olives, or sauerkraut.
- Regular canned soups, instant soups.
- Butter, fatback, and salt pork.
- Soy sauce, steak sauce, salad dressing,
ketchup, barbecue sauce, garlic salt, onion salt, seasoned salts like
lemon pepper, bouillon cubes, meat tenderizer, and monosodium glutamate
(MSG).
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