Get the Salt Out by C.N.S. Ph.D. Ann Louise Gittleman Page A
Authors: C.N.S. Ph.D. Ann Louise Gittleman
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alternatives to the salted foods normally found in regular supermarkets, always check the nutrition labels to be sure.
74Become a label reader. No matter where you buy your food, you have to pay attention to what’s in it. Don’t forget that the overwhelming majority of the salt Americans consume is “hidden” in processed foods. This means that you have to be skeptical about every food you’re thinking of buying. If you do nothing else to lower your sodium intake, read those labels and don’t let the “hidden” sodium sneak past you.
75Label Reading Lesson No. 1: Read the number of sodium milligrams listed on the Nutrition Facts label of the food you’re considering buying. Although sodium requirementsdiffer for each individual, use this as a rule of thumb: focus on buying low-sodium foods—foods that have
140 milligrams or less
of sodium per serving—and make these your staples. (If you need additional sodium in your diet, add extra natural salt at the table.)
76If it helps you to understand milligrams of sodium in terms of teaspoons of salt, remember that there are 2,000 milligrams of sodium in just one teaspoon of salt. That amount is more than sufficient for most of us in a single day. With this in mind, understand that a TV dinner that has 1,500 milligrams of sodium supplies
three-quarters
of that amount.
77Label Reading Lesson No. 2: Check the “% Daily Value” of sodium the product provides. Never buy foods that contain
more than 16 percent
of the Daily Value of sodium. If you’d like to emphasize
Two Salt Shaker
foods in your diet, buy foods that contain
less than 10 percent
of the Daily Value, or if you’d like to eat predominantly
One Salt Shaker
foods (something most of us should do), choose foods that contain
less than 6 percent
of the Daily Value. If you buy and eat foods with more than 16 percent, be especially conscious of the sodium levels of the other foods you eat that day
78Label Reading Lesson No. 3: Peruse the ingredient list and look for sodium in all its various forms. It can be listed as any of the following: baking powder, baking soda, disodium phosphate, monosodium glutamate (MSG), salt, sea salt, sodium alginate, sodium aluminum sulfate, sodium ascorbate, sodium benzoate, sodium bisulfite, sodium carboxymethyl cellulose, sodium caseinate, sodium erythorbate, sodium hexametaphosphate, sodium hydroxide, sodium nitrite, sodium nitrate, sodium pectinate, sodium propionate, sodium pyrophosphate, sodium saccharin, and sodium sulfite.
BONUS TIP:
Not only are these ingredients unhealthy sources of sodium that the body can’t easily use, but many of them alsoare chemicals that have been proven to jeopardize our health. Avoiding unnecessary chemicals in our diet is just as important as avoiding refined salt
79Label Reading Lesson No. 3 (Short Version): A quick way to discern sodium on the label is simply to look for the words
salt
or
sodium
in any form or for the chemical symbols Na or Nacl.
BONUS TIP:
While you’re reading the label for sodium content, pay attention to the other ingredients in the food as well If you have no idea what some ingredients are, the chances are good that your body has no idea what to do with the ingredients either. Avoid the fake foods and instead buy nutritious products that contain identifiable whole foods the body knows how to use.
80Label Reading Lesson No. 4: If you have high blood pressure, you should compare the milligrams of potassium a food has in relation to its sodium milligrams and choose foods that have much more potassium than sodium. Unfortunately, it’s not always easy to choose high-potassium foods because most manufacturers do not voluntarily provide information about potassium content on their labels. However, some companies such as Arrowhead Mills do. This is a true service to those customers trying to reduce high blood pressure by increasing potassium intake at the same time they reduce sodium.
81Understand the meaning of
74Become a label reader. No matter where you buy your food, you have to pay attention to what’s in it. Don’t forget that the overwhelming majority of the salt Americans consume is “hidden” in processed foods. This means that you have to be skeptical about every food you’re thinking of buying. If you do nothing else to lower your sodium intake, read those labels and don’t let the “hidden” sodium sneak past you.
75Label Reading Lesson No. 1: Read the number of sodium milligrams listed on the Nutrition Facts label of the food you’re considering buying. Although sodium requirementsdiffer for each individual, use this as a rule of thumb: focus on buying low-sodium foods—foods that have
140 milligrams or less
of sodium per serving—and make these your staples. (If you need additional sodium in your diet, add extra natural salt at the table.)
76If it helps you to understand milligrams of sodium in terms of teaspoons of salt, remember that there are 2,000 milligrams of sodium in just one teaspoon of salt. That amount is more than sufficient for most of us in a single day. With this in mind, understand that a TV dinner that has 1,500 milligrams of sodium supplies
three-quarters
of that amount.
77Label Reading Lesson No. 2: Check the “% Daily Value” of sodium the product provides. Never buy foods that contain
more than 16 percent
of the Daily Value of sodium. If you’d like to emphasize
Two Salt Shaker
foods in your diet, buy foods that contain
less than 10 percent
of the Daily Value, or if you’d like to eat predominantly
One Salt Shaker
foods (something most of us should do), choose foods that contain
less than 6 percent
of the Daily Value. If you buy and eat foods with more than 16 percent, be especially conscious of the sodium levels of the other foods you eat that day
78Label Reading Lesson No. 3: Peruse the ingredient list and look for sodium in all its various forms. It can be listed as any of the following: baking powder, baking soda, disodium phosphate, monosodium glutamate (MSG), salt, sea salt, sodium alginate, sodium aluminum sulfate, sodium ascorbate, sodium benzoate, sodium bisulfite, sodium carboxymethyl cellulose, sodium caseinate, sodium erythorbate, sodium hexametaphosphate, sodium hydroxide, sodium nitrite, sodium nitrate, sodium pectinate, sodium propionate, sodium pyrophosphate, sodium saccharin, and sodium sulfite.
BONUS TIP:
Not only are these ingredients unhealthy sources of sodium that the body can’t easily use, but many of them alsoare chemicals that have been proven to jeopardize our health. Avoiding unnecessary chemicals in our diet is just as important as avoiding refined salt
79Label Reading Lesson No. 3 (Short Version): A quick way to discern sodium on the label is simply to look for the words
salt
or
sodium
in any form or for the chemical symbols Na or Nacl.
BONUS TIP:
While you’re reading the label for sodium content, pay attention to the other ingredients in the food as well If you have no idea what some ingredients are, the chances are good that your body has no idea what to do with the ingredients either. Avoid the fake foods and instead buy nutritious products that contain identifiable whole foods the body knows how to use.
80Label Reading Lesson No. 4: If you have high blood pressure, you should compare the milligrams of potassium a food has in relation to its sodium milligrams and choose foods that have much more potassium than sodium. Unfortunately, it’s not always easy to choose high-potassium foods because most manufacturers do not voluntarily provide information about potassium content on their labels. However, some companies such as Arrowhead Mills do. This is a true service to those customers trying to reduce high blood pressure by increasing potassium intake at the same time they reduce sodium.
81Understand the meaning of
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