Health and Beauty Care

Several of the nation’s big health agencies (including the American Medical Association, the National Institutes of Health, and the American Heart Association) are on a campaign to reduce the amount of salt Americans eat by half on the grounds that limiting sodium intake will reduce high blood pressure and, consequently, decrease deaths from heart disease. (See "How Much Salt is Safe?" on Medical News Today.)

This is a controversial issue–just google "debate on salt intake" to get an eyeful. Various studies have found that the only people to benefit from reducing salt are 1) those with high blood pressure, 2) those who are genetically salt-sensitive, 3) overweight individuals, and/or 4) those who consume very high-sodium diets (which is sort of common sense). Some would argue that an across-the-board campaign to cut the amount of salt in every American’s diet is unnecessary or over-reaching. (Read for example "Genetics, diet, and lifestyle vs. sodium: the debate continues" on RealAge.com)

Many experts assert that the ratio of sodium to other minerals (particularly potassium) may be more important than the total amount of salt you take in. (See "The Skinny on Salt," by Jeremy Likness.) A 1:1 sodium to potassium ratio is considered ideal, but the typical American diet contains 5 times as much sodium as potassium.

At Nutritiondata.com, we don’t think it’s our role to dictate dietary dogma. Instead, we try to provide the information you need to make informed decisions about your own nutritional choices. If you’re concerned about your sodium intake or feel that you would benefit from reducing sodium, the following tools might be helpful.

1) The Nutrient Search Tool provides lists of foods in every category that are lowest in sodium. Tip: Somewhere between 70 and 80% of the sodium in our diets comes from prepared and packaged foods. That means that if you avoid packaged foods, you can salt your food to taste without worrying about excessive sodium. (This is my personal strategy to limit excess sodium.)

2) The Total Consumption Report allows you to track how much sodium (as well as potassium and dozens of other nutrients) your daily diet contains. Tip: Fruits and vegetables are high in potassium. Replacing snack foods with fresh produce can instantly tip the sodium/potassium balance in your favor.

3) The government’s Daily Value for sodium is 2,400 mg per day. The American Heart Association recommends a low sodium diet (1,500 mg per day). You can set your own target sodium intake using our Preference Settings.