To salt or not to salt – that is the question!

Salt sneaks into our daily diets in seemingly small amounts, and yet, it truly does add up.

In October, I completed the Cardiovascular Health Improvement Project (CHIP), and while the focus was on avoiding processed foods and changing one’s relationship with food, I learned a great deal about how much salt I actually consumed.  And, keep in mind that my kids grew up without a salt shaker, and we have none for the table.  We only use salt in cooking…and that is not even the real deal.

So, where does the salt come from?  The bulk of our salt intake comes from eating processed foods!  Have you ever carefully read the ingredients on a frozen food package and noticed the amount of sodium?  A whopping 77% of our sodium intake comes from processed or prepared foods.  What does that mean?  Even if you limit the use of the sale shaker, you still stand a good chance of having too much salt in your daily diet.  Only 12% comes from natural sources, 6% is added while eating (do you reach for the salt shaker before you even taste your food), and 5% is added while cooking.  The recommended intake is about 1500  – 2400 mg a day for healthy adults.  Remember, one teaspoon of salt has 2,325 mg of sodium – so you are done with your daily requirement.

For more information, see http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/sodium/nu00284