Sodium 101: Shake the Salt Habit

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By Madhu Gadia, M.S., R.D.
Photos by Scott Little

Like most Americans, you probably eat more salt than recommended—whether you know it or not. And it's not just the salt in the shaker you have to watch; sodium is hidden everywhere. To top it off, the older you get, the less you should consume.

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While you can control the amount of salt you shake onto your food, it’s the stealth salt that gets you. Hidden sodium lurks in many processed foods, including luncheon meats, prepared sauces and soups, canned and dried foods, and commercially prepared baked goods. It sneaks up on you in the pickles, ketchup, cheese, and bacon you pile onto your burger. If you add a serving of fries, you may exceed your daily sodium intake in a single meal.

Most people consume 4,000–6,000 milligrams of sodium daily—two to three times more than they should. According to the National Institutes of Health and the American Heart Association, adults up to the age of 50 should eat no more than 2,300 milligrams of sodium (the amount in 1 teaspoon of salt) each day. That amount should be even lower—1,500 milligrams—for those older than 50, African-Americans, and those with high blood pressure. People with a history of heart failure should be even more diligent.

Is It Salt or Sodium?
Although many people think salt is simply another name for sodium, the two are not identical. Table salt, also known as sodium chloride, contains 40 percent sodium and 60 percent chloride.

Sodium, like chloride and potassium, is a mineral essential to your health. It helps control the balance of fluids in and out of our body’s cells. Sodium is needed to transmit nerve impulses and to contract and relax muscles, including those in the heart.

Your kidneys regulate the sodium level in your body. If you’re healthy, your body eliminates excess sodium via urine and perspiration. If, for example, you eat foods high in sodium, you get thirsty, drink liquids, and urinate more to get rid of the sodium. If you have trouble with swelling in your face, legs, or feet, it could mean your kidneys are not removing the sodium as they should. Restricting your salt intake may help.

You rarely have too little sodium in your system, except when you have kidney problems or when you vomit, have diarrhea, or sweat profusely for a prolonged period of time. Symptoms of sodium deficiency include nausea, dizziness, and muscle cramps.

DASH of Support
About 30 percent of Americans probably are sodium sensitive. For them, consuming too much sodium leads to high blood pressure, also called hypertension. High blood pressure affects about 50 million Americans—one in four adults. It’s the leading cause of stroke and contributes to heart attack, heart failure, and kidney failure. African-Americans and people over the age of 50 are at particularly high risk of high blood pressure.

Hundreds of studies have looked at the connection between salt intake and heart disease. Some of the most compelling evidence that eating less salt can lower blood pressure comes from the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) trials. The study showed that limiting salt in a low-fat eating plan that includes fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, and dairy products resulted in lower blood pressure even among people within normal range.

You can’t always tell the sodium content of food by the taste. Many high sodium foods actually do not taste salty. In an average American diet, about 25 percent of the sodium comes from the saltshaker or the salt added to cooking and 75 percent comes from processed and prepared foods. To reduce the amount of sodium you consume, read food labels to check the sodium content per serving. Remember, two servings doubles the sodium. Just a slice of cheese (400 milligrams/1 ounce), a dab of mayonnaise (85 milligrams/1 tablespoon), and a squirt of mustard (100 milligrams/2 teaspoons) can add 600 milligrams of sodium to a sandwich.