February 2009

There's More to Sodium than the Salt Shaker

A low-sodium (salt) diet contributes to a healthy heart. Did you know that the majority of the sodium you eat – as much as 75% – comes from packages of processed, prepared foods?

Even foods that don’t taste salty often contain large
amounts of sodium. Here are some ways to reduce your salt intake:

• Buy fresh, frozen, or canned “with no salt added” vegetables.
• Use fresh poultry, fish, and lean meat, rather than canned or processed types.
• Rinse canned foods, such as tuna, to remove some sodium.
• Use herbs, spices, and salt-free seasoning blends in cooking and at the table.
• Cook rice, pasta, and hot cereals with “Lite” salt (use it sparingly). Cut back on instant or flavored rice, pasta, and cereal mixes, which usually have added salt.
• Choose “convenience” foods that are lower in sodium. Cut back on frozen dinners, pizza, packaged mixes, canned soups or broths, and salad dressings. These often have a lot of sodium.
• Buy low- or reduced-sodium, or no-salt-added “convenience” foods.
• Read ingredient labels. There are many names for salt: sodium chloride, sodium bicarbonate, sodium benzoate, monosodium glutamate (MSG), sodium nitrate, and disodium.

National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. 2008.

© 2008 Wellsource, Inc., Clackamas, Oregon.
All rights reserved.

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