North Florida/South Georgia Veterans Health System
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Reducing Salt Intake Can Help Your Heart
Limiting saturated and trans fats, and reducing your intake of refined carbohydrates are some important nutrition recommendations for a heart healthy diet. However, the number one recommendation is to reduce your intake of salt, which in turn helps to lower blood pressure and thus lower risk of heart disease and stroke. Reducing the nation’s salt intake is also a priority for our policy makers. Recently, Congress requested that the Institute of Medicine (IOM) develop tactics to reduce our country’s sodium intake. It is no surprise that their main focus has fallen on the food and restaurant industry. Most of us get too much salt in our diet NOT from adding salt to our food at the table, but from eating out, as restaurants heavily salt their foods during cooking, and from the many processed convenience foods our rushed society has become accustomed to. In 2010 the IOM called for new government standards to set an acceptable level of sodium in our foods. The National Salt Reduction Initiative (NSRI) is a coalition of cities, states and health organizations whose aim is to help food companies and restaurants reduce the sodium content of their products and foods, to help meet their goal of decreasing the sodium content of the American diet by 20% over 5 years. Some tips to help you curb your sodium/salt intake: 1. Become label savvy. Comparing the sodium content of food products as found on the nutrition facts label will help increase your awareness of hidden sodium and make the best choice within food categories. For example, even slices of bread can have anywhere from 50mg to 190mg of sodium in it depending on which brand you buy. 2. Fill up on naturally low-sodium foods, like fruits and vegetables, which will also help boost your potassium intake to help counterbalance your sodium intake. Of course fresh and frozen are the best choices over the often high-sodium canned vegetables. 3. Carefully select your meats. Processed meats such as lunch meats, particularly sausage style meats are very high in sodium, as this is mainly how they are cured and preserved. Try looking for American heart association approved lunch meats. Also, be careful with pre-marinated and brined fresh meats as these are usually loaded with sodium. Try making your own salt-free marinade with fresh herbs, spices, vinegars and juices. 4. Mind your portion size. Obviously the more we eat, the more sodium we will get in our diet. Eating 2-3 times the suggested serving would result in consuming double and triple the sodium. 5. Careful with condiments. Most store-bought salad dressings, dips and marinades are made with a lot of salt, and thus are not a good substitute for salting your food. Make your own or try to find the best choice by being label savvy and of course using them in moderation. 6. Eat more fresh whole foods. The more processed a food is the more sodium it will have. Try snacking on a handful of trail-mix or unsalted nuts, and cook more from scratch. The time we perceive to lose cooking is not saved through convenience foods. A diet high in processed convenience foods and restaurant foods will likely result in time lost later in life due to illness, reduced quality of life and/ or premature death. So make your health a priority again! Enjoy life and all of the wonderful foods and flavors there are to try. Try this heart healthy recipe: Smoky Broccoli Slaw INGREDIENTS
DIRECTIONS 1. Make dressing from honey, yogurt, light mayo, lime juice and spices. NUTRITION INFO per 1 cup serving: 112kcals, 15g carbohydrates, 3g fiber, 2.5g fat, 4g protein, 90mg sodium |
