Sodium

How much salt should you eat?

• The average American gets about 3,400mg of sodium a day!
• The 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans states...
• Healthy individuals under the age of 51:
• Less than 2,300mg a day
• Age 51 or older, African American, high blood pressure, diabetes, or chronic kidney disease:
• No more than 1,500mg a day
• If you are unsure, talk to your doctor

Why do you need sodium?

• Helps maintain the right balance of fluids in your body
• Helps transmit nerve impulses
• Influences the contraction and relaxation of muscles

What are the long term effects of a high sodium diet?

• Sodium starts to accumulate in your blood
• Sodium causes water retention and bloating
• Your blood volume increases
•  Your heart works harder to move more blood through your blood vessels
• Pressure increases in your arteries
• Heart disease, stroke, kidney disease, and congestive heart failure

Where does most of your sodium intake come from?

• Processed and prepared foods
• Bread (white and wheat)
• Prepared dinners like pasta
• Meat and egg dishes
• Pizza and fast foods
• Cold cuts and bacon
• Cheese
• Natural sources
• All vegetables (especially canned vegetables and some juices)
• Dairy products such as milk, meat, and shellfish
• 1 cup (237 milliliters) of low fat milk = 107mg of sodium
• In the kitchen and at the table
• One teaspoon of table salt has 2,325mg of sodium
• Many recipes call for salt
• Many people also salt their food at the table
• Condiments may also contain sodium
• One tablespoon (15 milliliters) of soy sauce = 1,000 mg of sodium

How can you tell which foods are high in sodium

• Read the Nutrition Facts Label
• Avoid foods that have more than 140mg sodium per serving
• Pay attention to the serving size!
• Look for salt or sodium-containing compounds
• Monosodium glutamate (MSG)
• Baking soda
• Baking powder
• Disodium phosphate
• Sodium alginate
• Sodium nitrate or nitrite
• Sodium-free or salt-free:
• Each serving contains less than 5mg sodium
• Very low sodium:
• Each serving contains 35mg sodium or less
• Low sodium:
•  Each serving contains 140mg sodium or less
• Reduced or low sodium:
• Each serving contains at least 25% less sodium than the regular version
• Lite or light in sodium:
• Each serving contains at least 50% less sodium than the regular version
• Unsalted or no salt added:
• No salt is added during the processing of a food that normally contains salt

15 ways to cut back on salt:
Cutting back can lower your risk of high blood pressure, heart disease, and stroke!

1. Read food labels.
2. Choose foods that have less than 140mg of sodium per serving.
3. Cut back or avoid already prepared foods and fast foods.
4. Avoid high-sodium soups, sauces, condiments, and prepared mixes.
5. Take the saltshaker off the table.
6. Eat more fresh fruits and vegetables.
7. Limit cured meats such as bacon, ham, hot dogs, and deli meats.
8. Taste food before salting it. Give yourself time to get used to natural flavors.
9. Look for low-sodium recipes.
10. Choose unsalted nuts, seeds, crackers, and other snack foods.
11. Add flavor to foods using spices or herbs. Avoid blends that include salt.
12. Avoid drinks like sports drinks, vegetable juices, and milkshakes that are high in sodium.
13. Eat at home more often. Restaurant foods can be high in sodium.
14. When eating out, ask for your food to be prepared with less salt. Or choose lower sodium options such as fresh salads and items without special sauces. 
15. Be patient. Your taste buds will soon get used to less salt. Your heart will thank you!

Healthy Grocery Shopping Tips

Plan Ahead

• Make a list before heading to the store. This will help eliminate impulse buys.
• Plan your meals for the week and add all the foods and ingredients for meals to the list. This will help reduce trips to fast food restaurants.
• Go grocery shopping when you are not hungry. This will also reduce impulse buying. 

 Read labels

•  Labels that have fewer ingredients are more likely to be easily processed and digested by the body. 
• Labels with a lot of artificial ingredients that are hard to pronounce are more likely to be processed and have chemicals in them that make their shelf life longer.
• Try to avoid foods that have one of their top listed ingredients as high fructose corn syrup.
• Look for foods with about 1-2 grams of fat for every 100 calories, and no more than 3. 

Shop Along the Perimeter of the Grocery Store

• The more natural/whole foods are found on the perimeter of the store. These include: fruits and vegetables, meats, dairy, and whole grains. 
• The processed foods with high fructose corn syrup are usually found in the middle aisles.

List of Vitamin D and Calcium Levels in Food

Vitamin D

                      Food                                                                       IUs/serving                            .
Cod liver oil, 1 tablespoon                                                                  1,360
Salmon (sockeye) cooked, 3 ounces                                                     447
Mackerel, cooked, 3 ounces                                                                 388
Tuna fish, canned in water, drained, 3 ounces                                        154
Orange juice fortified with Vitamin D, 1 cup                                          137
Milk, nonfat, reduced fat, and whole, Vitamin D fortified, 1 cup           115-124
Yogurt, fortified with 20% of the DV for Vitamin D, 6 ounces                 88
Margarine, fortified, 1 tablespoon                                                           60
Liver, beef, cooked, 3.5 ounces                                                             49
Sardines, canned in oil, drained, 2 sardines                                             46
Egg, 1 large (Vitamin D is found in yolk)                                                 41
Ready-to-eat cereal, 0.75-1 cup                                                            40
Cheese, Swiss, 1 ounce                                                                           6

Calcium

                       Food                                                               Calcium in milligrams (mg)                    .
1 cup of milk                                                                                            300
6 oz of yogurt                                                                                           350
1 oz hard cheese (cheddar)                                                                       240
2 slices processed cheese                                                                         265
1/4 cup cottage cheese                                                                             120
1/2 cup soft serve frozen yogurt                                                                100
1/2 cup ice cream                                                                                      85
1/2 cup tofu                                                                                             258
1/2 cup into beans or chick peas                                                                40
1/4 cup almonds                                                                                        95
1 tablespoon almond butter                                                                        43
1 tablespoon sesame seeds                                                                        90
1 tablespoon Tahini                                                                                    63
1/4 cup Brazil nuts or hazelnuts                                                                  55
8 medium sardines (canned)                                                                     370
3 oz salmon                                                                                             180
1/2 cup oysters (canned)                                                                           60
1/2 cup shrimp (canned)                                                                            40
1 cup kale                                                                                                 94
1 cup broccoli                                                                                          178
1 cup celery                                                                                              54
1 cup cooked green beans                                                                         58
1 cup cooked butternut squash                                                                   84
1 cup cooked sweet potato                                                                        70
1 medium navel orange                                                                               56
2/3 cup raisins                                                                                            53
10 medium dried figs                                                                                 269
1 cup calcium-fortified orange juice                                                           300
1 cup enriched soy milk                                                                            300
1 cup enriched rice milk                                                                            300                                                                         

On the Front of the Package

Calorie Free: Product must contain less than 5 calories per serving.
Low Calorie: Food contains no more than 40 percent of the calories in the regular version.
Reduced Calorie: Contains at least 25% fewer calories than the regular version. Depending on how many calories the original version had, this doesn't necessarily guarantee that the food is low in calories.
Fat free: Can only contain 0.5 grams of fat per serving.
Low fat: 3 grams of fat (or less) per serving.
Light: 50% less fat than its regular counterpart.Depending on how much fat the original version had, this doesn't necessarily guarantee that the food is low in fat.
Reduced fat: 25% less fat than regular version. Again, this doesn't necessarily guarantee that the food is low in fat.
High fiber: Good term to watch for! Indicates one serving has at least 5 grams of dietary fiber.
Good source of fiber: Food product has 2.5-4.9 grams of fiber per serving.
More or added fiber: Product has at least 2.5 grams of fiber per serving. Doesn't necessarily mean it is high in fiber.
Low sodium: Contains half the sodium of the original.
Sugar free: Less than 0.5 gram of sugar per serving.