Sodium: hidden health assault

Reading Time: 4 minutes

Published: February 10, 2011

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A request to pass the salt may become passé if a five year goal to reduce sodium in the Canadian diet succeeds.

It is estimated the average Canadian consumes 3,400 milligrams of sodium per day but a national working group of health care professionals and food manufacturers hope to reduce that to 2,300 mg by 2016.

Adequate intake is 1,500 mg for people aged nine to 50 and less for those younger and older than that.

That’s challenging because sodium is used in many processed food for flavour and preservatives but the effect is the same.

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“Salt is salt,” said Ev Glaser, education co-ordinator for the Canadian Heart and Stroke Foundation.

Commissioned in 2007 by the federal government, the sodium working group consisted of 25 representatives from food manufacturing and food service groups, non-governmental organizations, scientists, consumer advocacy groups, health professionals and government.

Last summer, the group presented recommendations for voluntary sodium reduction targets, reduction time lines, a plan to monitor progress with the food industry and an independent evaluation of progress.

The group also suggested monitoring long-term health, including blood pressure, stroke, heart failure and other sodium related illnesses as well as reduced health-care costs.

High sodium intake has been linked worldwide to elevated blood pressure, a major cause of heart disease and a risk factor for stroke.

The study estimated reducing sodium could result in direct health-care savings of $1.38 billion per year and indirect savings of about $3 billion annually.

Europe and the United States have similar goals to reduce salt intake.

Sodium is naturally occurring in many foods but it is estimated 88 percent of the intake comes from commercially processed food.

However, salt is an essential electrolyte in the body.

“For your heart to actually beat, you need salt. It plays a role in the actual electrical function of the heart,” said Glaser, who noted it is also required for muscle movement and nerve function.

“When you have too much salt, you have too much water and that is how blood pressure gets elevated.”

People rank taste ahead of nutrition when making many food choices. But studies have found if salt is slowly reduced, people’s taste buds adjust and they accept less salt over time.

In addition to its use in flavouring, salt is also used for preservation and as an antimicrobial agent against listeria, staphylococcus and botulism.

It can also affect the texture and structure of food because it binds proteins together and holds water.

Current government regulation requires a minimum amount of salt be added to certain processed meat products and does not permit the use of alternatives to sodium chloride, said home economist Mary Ann Binnie of the Canadian Meat Council and member of the working group.

She said the council agrees on the need to wean Canadians off salt.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency will have to work with processors to develop new regulations on reduced salts.

Any adjustments to the food supply will be made on a progressive basis.

“Flavour and texture will change. We need an education program so that consumers are aware of the fact that the food supply may change,” she said.

Salt substitutes are available for processing but they are more expensive. Sodium chloride used in processing is about 30 cents per kilogram compared to substitutes at $4 per kilogram. The substitutes may require longer drying times and new recipes.

These products will also have a shorter shelf life.

“If we are removing the salt, maybe consumers may add more at the supper table,” she said.

Consumer education will be the responsibility of Health Canada.

“The consumers need to be part of this process and they need to be motivated as to why they should reduce the amount of sodium,” Binnie said.

Education includes reading and understanding nutrition labels because people are often unaware of hidden salt, especially in processed food, said Glaser.

A can of soup label indicates there are 200 mg of sodium per 250 gram serving but the full can contains 800 mg of sodium.

Processed food was targeted because items like fruit, vegetables or whole muscle meats have naturally occurring salt and cannot be adjusted.

Glaser classifies processed food as anything that comes in a package, box or can and the more ingredients it contains, the greater the sodium content.

“Cooking from scratch is a lost art but it is what we are advocating,” she said.

Facts and figures

Aim to take in no more than 1,500 milligrams of sodium per day. One gram of salt contains 393 mg of sodium and one teaspoon has 2,300 mg.

Check nutrition fact labels on food and avoid products with more than 400 mg of sodium per serving. Look for those products that have less than 200 mg per serving. Note that the % Daily Value listed for sodium should be ignored since it is based on a target daily sodium intake of 2,400 mg instead of a healthier 1,500 mg limit.

Soup stocks and sauces are often high in sodium, especially steak, soy and fish sauces. When baking, remember baking powder and self-raising flour are sources of sodium.

Try adding a twist of lemon juice, herbs and spices or sodium free seasonings as an alternative to salt.

Sea salt contains almost as much sodium as table salt.

Pizza, sandwiches, subs, burgers, and hot dogs account for almost 20 percent of Canada’s sodium consumption. Eat less of these and avoid those that have “extra” prepared meats and cheese.

Source: www.sodium101.c a

How much sodium is in…

One slice of pizza 1,770 mg

Bacon &eggs breakfast (three slices bacon, two eggs, two slices whole wheat toast) 1,141 mg

Spaghetti with sauce (500 mL spaghetti, 250 mL sauce) 1,030 mg

10 pretzels 966 mg

Vegetable soup (350 mL) 922 mg

One large dill pickle 620 mg

One large fresh egg 125 mg

Raw meats also contain sodium.

Here is how much sodium is contained in a 100 gram serving:

Lamb loin 83 mg

Beef top sirloin steak 59 mg

Pork tenderloin 54 mg

Skinless chicken breast 51 mg

Source: Canadian Nutrient file, www.sodium101.c a

About the author

Barbara Duckworth

Barbara Duckworth

Barbara Duckworth has covered many livestock shows and conferences across the continent since 1988. Duckworth had graduated from Lethbridge College’s journalism program in 1974, later earning a degree in communications from the University of Calgary. Duckworth won many awards from the Canadian Farm Writers Association, American Agricultural Editors Association, the North American Agricultural Journalists and the International Agriculture Journalists Association.

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