ORLANDO, Fla. (Ivanhoe Newswire) — According to the FDA, 90 percent of Americans are eating more sodium than the recommended amount! And too much could be harming your health. sodium overload
It adds flavor to your food, but are you eating too much salt? Dietary guidelines say adults shouldn’t have more than 2,300 milligrams of sodium a day, but the average American consumes 3,400 milligrams a day!
“Excessive amounts of salt may increase their risk for high blood pressure,” said Alessandra Stasnopolis, Registered Dietician Baylor Scott & White Health
More than four in ten Americans has high blood pressure and it can up your risk for heart disease, stroke, gastric cancer, obesity, osteoporosis, kidney disease, and Meniere’s disease. The World Health Organization says one point 89 million deaths each year are linked to too much sodium. The biggest high-sodium culprits are processed or convenience foods.
“Those foods are going to tend to have more salt, because salt helps preserve those foods,” said Stasnopolis,
But only 15 percent of your sodium intake comes from here. Some surprising sources of sodium, soups, breads, condiments, meat, and salad dressings. In fact, a slice of cheese can have the same amount of sodium as an ounce of potato chips. To lower your salt intake, try to eat mostly fresh, minimally processed foods. Cut back on high-sodium foods like deli meats, pizza, burritos, and sandwiches. Use herbs and spices instead of salt to season your food. And read your food labels.
“It’s just important to check that label before you grab something off the shelf,” explained Stasnopolis.
And is Himalayan salt any better for you? A teaspoon of regular table salt contains about 23-hundred milligrams of sodium, a teaspoon of Himalayan salt contains 22 hundred milligrams. The FDA says about 70 percent of the sodium you eat comes from processed and restaurant foods. The agency is working closely with manufacturers to have them lower sodium amounts across a wide range of foods.
Contributors to this news report include: Julie Marks, Producer; Bob Walko, Editor
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