Sodium is a key macronutrient we need in our diet, but it is used widely in so many foods we tend to get far too much of it. Sodium is contain in common table salt (chemically Sodium Chloride (NaCl) – 'Na' is sodium).
You should always strive to consume less than 2,300 mg of sodium per day, unless you have high blood pressure, in which case you should aim for less than 1,500 mg each day. One teaspoon salt of salt contains 2,300 mg sodium, or your daily allowance.
What Contains Sodium?
Salt naturally occurs in some foods and is added to many others. For example, many spices contain very small amounts of natural sodium. MealMixer's
Diet Planners know how much each item, dish and meal have in them, so you won't need to worry about hidden sodium. But, when you're out and about and buy prepared or packaged foods that are not on your
meal plan, you need to read the labels. Look for the words "soda", "sodium bicarbonate", "baking soda", "sodium", or the symbol "Na."
Some drugs contain very high amounts of sodium, and the sodium content of antacids has to be listed if it has 5 mg or more per dose.
To Reduce Your Sodium Consumption...
Here are several trips to get sodium out of your diet.
- Buy unsalted nuts, seeds, broths, bouillons, soups, dried beans, peas and lentils.
- Stay away from chips, fries, and other highly salted snack foods
- Cut back on added salt when you cook with canned vegetables
- When dining out make sure you ask the wait staff to tell the cook not to prepared the dish with excess salt.
- Use spices and herbs rather than salt to spiff up your home cooked recipes.