Stealth Salt in the Pantry

[David Baxter PhD]

Stealth Salt in the Pantry
By BILL MARSH, New York Times
April 24, 2010

There are some foods that you expect to be generously salted.


Foods With a Surprising Amount of Salt

Saltines, for example.

But you might not know that the three Oreo cookies you had at lunch account for 11 percent of your recommended daily salt intake. Or that a serving of low-fat cottage cheese equals more than one-quarter of your intake.

Add it up, a government-commissioned report said last week, and you get a recipe for perhaps 100,000 premature deaths a year from sodium overload in the American diet, chiefly due to hypertension and related disease. The Institute of Medicine, the report?s author, said salt amounts in some grocery and restaurant foods should be declared unsafe.

Health advocates have campaigned for years to get Americans to cut back. Michael Jacobson, director of the Center for Science in the Public Interest, calls salt ?the single most harmful substance in our food.?

The thing is, it?s tasty. ?Salt is very addicting,? said Sidney Alexander, a cardiologist at the Lahey Clinic Medical Center near Boston. He has watched his heart patients struggle to live with less of it. ?Even though there are good salt substitutes and other spices they can use, they have a hard time giving it up,? he said.

And it?s hard to avoid, unless you make your meals from scratch. About three-quarters of the salt Americans consume is delivered by processed foods. At restaurants, you are what you are served ? many entrees contain double or more the daily recommended intake.

Several manufacturers have pledged to reduce the salt in their products. Kraft Foods intends to cut an average of 10 percent from its product lines in the next two years. That will leave 90 percent intact, but a spokesperson said the company will work on further reductions. American children and adults, according to the Institute of Medicine report, eat well more than double the amount of salt recommended as adequate for a healthful diet.

 

[David Baxter PhD]

See also http://forum.psychlinks.ca/health-w...2783-fda-recommends-lowering-salt-intake.html

 

[Daniel E.]

Michael Jacobson, director of the Center for Science in the Public Interest, calls salt “the single most harmful substance in our food.”

I remember reading in their newsletter that people should make their own salad dressing, which isn't a bad idea since it's simple to do. Similar advice from their current article:

How to Defuse A Salt Mine

As long as the food supply stays salt-laden, the easiest way to reach target sodium levels is to make your own.

Okay, it’s not easy to bake your own raisin bran, but you can easily whip up your own salad dressing and season your own rice, couscous, or pasta. You can also buy no-salt added canned beans (try Eden), tuna (try Bumble Bee), and tomatoes (try Pom?). And you can dust off your old copies of Nutrition Action and rediscover Kate Sherwood’s amazing Healthy Cook recipes, which trim sodium but not taste.

But on days when there’s no way you’re going to make your own, try this: add salt-free vegetables, beans, or grains to high-sodium packaged or restaurant foods.

You not only cut the salt in each serving, you boost the potassium. What’s more, you save money by stretching costlier packaged foods or restaurant take-out. It’s a win-win.

Salt: Shaving Salt, Saving Lives

Or that a serving of low-fat cottage cheese equals more than one-quarter of your intake.

In that and other ways, cottage cheese seems like a health food from the 1980s. The zero-fat greek yogurt I like has a lot more potassium (350 mg) than sodium (95 mg).

 

[Daniel E.]

More tips:

At the store​

• Remember that unprocessed, fresh foods are good for you and are naturally low in sodium.
• Read the Nutrition Facts label and check the sodium content. Try to avoid high sodium products with over 400 mg sodium per serving. Go easy on those with a medium sodium content of 200 – 400 mg per serving. Look for those products that are less than 200 mg per serving.
• Be aware of the serving size – how many servings are you intending to eat? For example breads and cereals are a significant source of sodium in our diets because we consume many servings.
• Soups, processed meats, convenience and prepared foods are loaded with sodium.
• Different brands may have differing sodium contents. The lower sodium brands may be located on the top or bottom of the shelf rather than at eye level. They are also often hidden in the “organic”, “wholefood”, or “natural” sections of the supermarket – ask for assistance and complain if low-sodium brands are not available!
• Be wary of products bearing health claims. These claims are mostly dubious and are often used to promote processed “foods” containing unhealthy doses of sodium.

In the kitchen​

• Cooking from scratch gives you control of the sodium content. Add progressively less salt when cooking – as you get used to the taste cut it out completely.
• When cooking, remember that stocks and sauces are often high in sodium, especially steak, soy and fish sauces.
• When baking, note that baking powder and self-raising flour are sources of sodium.
• In the preparation of packaged foods, try to cut back on the sauces and avoid adding the seasoning mixes which are loaded with sodium.
• To reduce the sodium in canned vegetables, drain and soak in cold fresh water for 10 minutes then drain again before use.
• At the table don’t salt your food! Sea salt contains almost as much sodium as table salt. Try adding a twist of lemon juice, herbs and spices, or sodium free seasonings as an alternative to salt. Allow your taste buds to get used to enjoying the subtle flavors of food with less salt. Just as with giving up sugar in coffee, it only takes a short time for your taste to adjust.

Quick meals​

• Take the time to read the nutrition information on the websites of your favorite fast food restaurants. Make a note of items with the best nutritional profile. Remember that an adequate intake of 1,500 mg of sodium per day implies around 500 mg per meal.
• Pizza, sandwiches, subs, burgers, and hot dogs account for almost 20% of Canada’s sodium consumption. Eat less of these meals and avoid those that have “extra” prepared meats and cheese.
• “Healthy” choices can also contain surprising amounts of sodium. Ask for your salad dressing on the side and use sparingly. Request no soy sauce or MSG in your stir-fry. Soups, even the vegetable varieties, are almost always high in sodium.
• Cut the salty snacks. Instead of chips try fruit, plain popcorn or unsalted nuts.

Dining out

• Take control of your dining experience. You will be paying for the ingredients and preparation so call ahead and ask if they can meet your dietary requirements. You can always choose another restaurant if they are not prepared to use less salt.
• Chain restaurants may have nutritional information on their web sites – get the facts before you go and plan your meal based on informed choices.
• Tell your waiter that you want to limit sodium (salt) and don’t be afraid to make special requests.
• Be wary of “healthy” options on the menu – ask about the sodium content.
• Serving sizes at restaurants are often extreme. Ask for a half portion, split a meal or take home part for later.
• Steer clear of the soups, sauces and salad dressings.

http://www.sodium101.ca/en/takecontrol/grocerytips.html

Since subs and sandwiches are listed as a top source of sodium, some tips from Subway (which also provides nutritional information for each condiment):

To Reduce Sodium

Limit items such as cheese, bacon, salt, mustard, mayonnaise, jalapeno peppers, olives and pickles. Top your sandwich with vegetables such as lettuce, tomato, green peppers and onions.

Try the Olive Oil Blend and vinegar on your salad instead of dressing.

Nutrition - Subway.com

(Though Swiss cheese is known for being relatively low in sodium, not all Subways carry it.)

 

[Retired]

Since the awareness campaign began last week, Ive been looking more closely at foods in the supermarket and have discovered salt in the most unexpected foods. The most surprising discovery was that chocolate milk contains 180 mg of salt in an 8 oz glass; being the third ingredient in the list following milk and sugar.

 

[Daniel E.]

The same is true of chocolate soy milk. When people make hot chocolate, for example, many recipes ask for salt.

The most surprising discovery was that chocolate milk contains 180 mg of salt in an 8 oz glass

There is 130 mg in the skim milk I buy, but there is 420 mg of potassium. Personally, I'm not concerned. If anything, I would consider this skim milk heart healthy with a potassium/sodium ratio of 3.2.

BTW, the FDA does not require companies to list the potassium content on food labels, though this is often done.

 

[David Baxter PhD]

There is 130 mg in the skim milk I buy, but there is 420 mg of potassium. So, personally, I wouldn't be concerned. In fact, I would consider it heart healthy.

Why not? What does the amount of potassium have to do with the concern about the amount of sodium?

 

[Daniel E.]

Besides the fact that 130mg of sodium is only 5 percent of the FDA's current maximum recommendation:

"Sodium tends to make the body hold water. Potassium may actually have the opposite effect of helping body lose water."

http://forum.psychlinks.ca/dieting-...t/20898-8-simple-ways-to-reduce-bloating.html

The ratio of the two nutrients mattered more than the amount of either one when it came to predicting cardiovascular disease, the study found.

Scientists aren't sure how potassium dampens the heart-damaging effects of salt. One possibility, Cook says, is that potassium may prevent the body from absorbing as much sodium. But regardless of the mechanism, trying to boost your ratio is pretty much guaranteed to improve your health because you'll eat more fruits and vegetables, says Edgar Miller III, an epidemiologist at Johns Hopkins Medical University in Baltimore.

Study: Sodium-to-potassium ratio a key to heart health - Page 2 - Los Angeles Times

A higher sodium/potassium ratio is associated with increased risk of later CVD, and is stronger than sodium or potassium alone.

Joint Effects of Sodium and Potassium Intake on Subsequent Cardiovascular Disease: The Trials of Hypertension Prevention (TOHP) Follow-up Study

I would guess this has something to do with sodium-potassium pumps.

 

[David Baxter PhD]

Ah, yes... I vaguely recall something (from my increasingly distant past) about competition between NaCl (sodium) and KCl (potassium) in cell functioning, now that you mention it.

 

[Daniel E.]

The excitement continues:

Low-sodium recipes - MayoClinic.com

(A number of them actually look pretty good.)