Americans consume a lot of sodium. How much, exactly? According to the American Heart Association (AHA), the average American consumes roughly 3,400 miligrams of sodium each day. The AHA recommends a maximum of 1,500 miligrams of sodium a day, so the typical American consumes more than two times that.
The National Kidney Foundation (NKF) offers 10 tips for reducing the amount of salt in your diet.
These 10 tips can help you moderate your sodium intake:
1. Use fresh instead of packaged meats.
2. Choose fresh fruits and vegetables, or canned and frozen fruits.
3. Buy frozen vegetables that are labeled “fresh frozen” because they don’t contain any added seasonings or sauces.
4. Check every label for its sodium content.
5. Compare brands of the same foods to find the brand with the lowest sodium amount.
6. Choose spices and seasonings that don’t have sodium listed on the nutrition label.
7. Research restaurants and the sodium levels in their meals before eating out.
8. Be on the lookout for foods that have high sodium but don’t taste salty.
9. Reduce your diet’s sodium intake to lower your blood pressure.
10. Reducing salt intake over 6-8 weeks will adjust your tastebuds to lower sodium levels, causing high sodium foods to become unappealing.
See the NKF website for more information on reducing your sodium intake here.
