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Hold
the salt
March 13, 03
Suzanne Havala Hobbs
Do
you salt first, taste later?
If so, you may be increasing your risk of
coronary artery disease and stroke by
greatly exceeding recommended intake
levels of sodium.
The standard American diet is high in
sodium, with most people consuming at
least twice the limit recommended by
health authorities. Americans' reliance
on prepared foods and fast food is in
part to blame.
But we've also just developed a taste for
it.
The good news is that your yen for sodium
– a primary ingredient in table salt
– is a taste preference that you can
reprogram.
Sodium is essential for the body. But the
amount we need from our diet is miniscule
compared to what most people actually
get.
American health organizations generally
agree that we should limit daily salt
intake to 6 grams – about one
teaspoon. A new report by the World
Health Organization and the Food and
Agriculture Organization, both units of
the UN, recommends even less – 5
grams per day.
Bear in mind that dietary guidelines and
food nutrition labels typically refer to
levels of sodium in foods, rather than
salt. Recommendations to limit salt
intake to 6 grams per day translates into
a daily sodium limit of 2,400 milligrams.
A 5-gram limit equals 2,000 milligrams of
sodium. That's still 100 times more than
the body actually needs.
With the exception of fruit – which
is nearly sodium-free – most foods
contain some sodium. Salt and other
sodium compounds are used to preserve and
flavor foods, though you may not notice a
salty flavor in all high-sodium foods.
Major sources of sodium include:
• Processed foods. Cheese spreads
and dips, snack chips, frozen dinners,
pizza, luncheon meats, hotdogs, ketchup,
bottled salad dressing, and other
condiments.
• Pickled foods. Pickles, olives,
sauerkraut.
• Packaged mixes. Pudding mixes,
rice mixtures, cake mixes, macaroni and
cheese dinners, instant mashed potatoes,
and rice mixtures.
• Canned goods. Soups, vegetables,
spaghetti and other tomato-based entrees.
• Fast food. Sandwiches of all
types, hash browns, hot cakes, pizza.
• Sodium compounds. Monosodium
glutamate (MSG), sodium chloride, aka
table salt (including garlic salt, meat
tenderizer, and seasoned salts), baking
soda (sodium bicarbonate), and baking
powder.
Nothing can truly replace the salty
flavor. But your preference for salt is
an acquired taste. The more you use, the
more you like.
Just as you became conditioned to like
and expect the taste of salt, you can
reset your taste for it in much the same
way.
Once you do, you won't miss the salty
flavor. Seriously. In fact, many people
find that foods they once enjoyed taste
too salty once they've gone without them
for a while. Just remember: the operative
word here is time. The taste transition
doesn't happen overnight, but it will
happen.
Some tips for easing the way:
• Put away the salt shaker. Omit
salt from the water when you boil pasta,
rice, and oatmeal. Use herbs and spices
more liberally to flavor cooked foods.
• Buy reduced-sodium products.
“Lite” soy sauce and low-sodium
canned tomato products are good examples.
• Comparison shop. Read food labels
to compare the sodium content of similar
products. Instant seasoned rice mixes,
for instance, can vary in sodium content
by several hundred milligrams per
serving.
• Experiment with flavored vinegars
and herb-infused vegetable oils. Good on
vegetables, salads, and in pasta.
• Make generous use of fresh
vegetables and fruits. Use them for
soups, salads, pasta, and stir-fry.
• Prepare more food at home from
scratch. You'll have much more control
over the ingredients that way. Fast food
is loaded with sodium.
• Keep fresh lemons on hand. Squeeze
lemon juice over cooked vegetables, fish,
and salads. Good on hummus –
garbanzo bean dip – too.
• Go ahead and rinse. Rinsing canned
vegetables – including canned beans
– in a colander with running water
will remove much of the sodium added in
processing.
Deprogramming your taste for salt can be
a challenge. Be patient, and give
yourself time working at it.
Next week, we'll take a look at
recommendations concerning sugar.
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