Despite our information-saturated society these days, it seems Canadians may not be getting the message about sodium.
Health Canada recommends healthy adults up to age 50 aim for about 1,500 milligrams a day of sodium (adults with medical conditions should consult their physicians for recommendations). That number should go down a bit as you move past 50. Health Canada's website states that a sodium intake of about 2,300 milligrams per day is likely to pose a health risk.
That sounds like a high number, and a target you may think you're nowhere near, but recent studies suggest Canadians consume about 3,400 milligrams of sodium each day. That's a lot more than they "should" be consuming.
Sodium is a necessary part of cell function, so the average person's body needs some sodium. Too much sodium can contribute to high blood pressure, which can lead to stroke, heart disease and kidney disease.
Sodium is a major component in regular table salt, but figuring out exactly how much sodium is in salt and how much salt you can safely sprinkle on your mashed potatoes requires a pretty good grasp on some complicated-looking math equations.
However, the gist seems to be that adding one teaspoon of table salt to your food per day is more than enough. (It's worth mentioning here that Health Canada also notes other popular types of salt, including kosher salt, sea salt, fleur de sel, gourmet salt and smoked salt, have the same amount of sodium as table salt.)
Unfortunately, the salt you add to your meal doesn't account for most of the sodium Canadians are consuming. Health Canada states that more than 75 per cent of sodium consumed in this country comes from processed foods. Processed foods include soups, sauces, cheese, deli meats, pizza, fast food, restaurant meals, and even breakfast cereal, among many other products.
In 2009, media reported on findings from a British-based group called World Action on Salt that suggested sodium levels in some of Canada's processed foods were higher than in other countries.
It seems there is still work to be done here.
Reducing sodium intake starts with a better shopping plan. Choose foods with lower sodium to help reduce your overall intake.
Health Canada offers the following suggestion.
When considering processed foods, look at the Nutrition Facts label on the package. Pay close attention to the column on the right that shows the "% Daily Value." That number is a relative number, but it gives consumers an idea of how much sodium that product will contribute to your daily consumption. According to Health Canada, when looking at the Per Cent Daily Value of sodium, a good rule of thumb is: five per cent DV or less is a little, and 15 per cent DV or higher is a lot.
