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Americans consume too much sodium. It goes without saying. We need some sodium to help keep the body working properly. But we don’t need up to most of us are getting. The Institute of drugs recommends 1500mg per day, with a max of 2300mg per day. And individuals with conditions like diabetes and high blood pressure should always limit their intake of sodium to 1500mg each day.
Yet, according to the Cdc and Prevention (CDC), the average American older than two consumes 3436mg per day. That’s more than double what we need.
Consuming an excessive amount of sodium might have long-term, side effects on your health. It contributes to high blood pressure along with other dangerous conditions and diseases. Dr. Jennifer DeBruler, an interior medicine physician with Advocate Medical Group?in Libertyville, Ill., recommends making plans to limit the sodium inside your family’s diet and watching what you feed your kids because children are at risk of the effects of excess sodium too.
When many people think of consuming sodium, they think of adding salt to foods or eating salty snacks like chips. But many of us are becoming our excess sodium from junk foods, including the ones that are advertised as healthy options. Here are some examples:
- Cereal. One brand of raisin bran cereal has 350mg of sodium per cup. And also, since many people eat a lot more than 1 cup, they’ll obtain a large part of their sodium from the whole wheat toast most people think is good.
- Vegetable juice. In 8 ounces of vegetable juice, you can get nearly 500mg of sodium, which is one-third of the sodium you’ll need per day.
- A bagel. One make of whole grain, plain bagel packs 490mg of sodium.
- Processed chicken white meat strips. A half-cup of one make of chicken breast strips contains about 460mg of sodium, while fresh chicken white meat you cook on your own contains no more than 40mg. Even if you add salt and flavorings for your home-cooked chicken, you’ll consume a lot less sodium than you will using the processed version.
- Pepperoni pizza. An individual serving of pepperoni pizza can pack nearly 1200mg of sodium.
- Canned vegetables. Canned veggies have plenty of added sodium. For example, ? cup of canned mushrooms might have 460mg of sodium, while organic mushrooms have about 30mg.
- Boxed rice and pasta. Prepare some of the flavored rice and pasta options, and you’ll get nearly 1200mg of sodium per cup.
- Chicken noodle soup. Some brands of chicken noodle soup carry nearly 1000mg of sodium per half-cup, and many people eat at least a cup per meal, meaning a small lunch could pack more sodium than you need for the entire day.
Fast meals are additionally a huge culprit with regards to adding sodium. The healthier options might have more than 3300mg of sodium per meal. Sandwiches with lunchmeat, salads with dressings, burgers, fried foods, catsup, sodas, as well as pancakes and pickles will prove to add your total sodium intake quickly. Fortunately, federal labeling laws require those meals manufacturers and restaurants make nutritional content open to consumers, therefore it is simpler to be informed and to limit sodium.
Dr. DeBruler’s advice for reducing sodium? Become a label reader or, better yet, increase the whole, unprocessed foods (fresh fruits and vegetables, nuts, and beans) for your diet and stay away from convenience foods and pre-packaged items. It’ll significantly help toward keeping you healthy and helping prevent hypertension.
