Cut the Sodium

Sodium is an important mineral required for the proper functioning of our body. The body uses sodium to control blood pressure and blood volume. It is also needed for your muscles and nerves to work properly. Sodium is the primary electrolyte that regulates the extracellular fluid levels in the body. Sodium is essential for hydration because this mineral pumps water into the cell. It helps maintain the right balance of fluids in your body, helps transmit nerve impulses and influences the contraction and relaxation of muscles. In addition to maintaining water balance, sodium is necessary for osmotic equilibrium, acid-base balance and regulation of plasma volume, nerve impulses and muscle contractions.

Your kidneys naturally balance the amount of sodium stored in your body for optimal health. When your body sodium is low, your kidneys essentially hold on to the sodium. When body sodium is high, your kidneys excrete the excess in urine. However, in some individuals, kidneys won't eliminate enough sodium and the sodium starts to build up in the blood. When this happens, because of sodium's tendency to attract and hold water, the blood volume increases, which makes the heart work harder and increases pressure in the arteries. Increased water retention resulting from excessive sodium could cause puffiness, bloating, give you bags under your eyes, increase swelling in your fingers and make your jeans look, and feel, tighter.

Some people's bodies are more sensitive to the effects of sodium than are others. If you're sodium sensitive, you retain sodium more easily. If this becomes chronic, it can lead to heart disease, stroke, kidney disease and congestive heart failure. Too much sodium may also have other harmful health effects, including increased risk for stroke, heart failure, osteoporosis, stomach cancer and kidney disease.

Since the minimum physiological requirement for sodium is only 500 mg daily, we well exceed our sodium intake. Healthy adults should limit sodium intake to 2,300 mg per day. Adults with high blood pressure should have no more than 1,500 mg per day. Those with congestive heart failure, liver cirrhosis, and kidney disease may need much lower amounts. The specific amount of sodium intake recommended for infants, children, and adolescents is not clear and eating habits and attitudes about food formed during childhood are likely to influence eating habits for life. For this reason, it is a good idea to avoid eating too much salt.

Sodium overload is a major health problem. The average American consumes about 3,400 milligrams of sodium a day - more than twice the 1,500 milligrams recommended by the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association. That's in large part because of our food supply; more than 75 percent of our sodium consumption comes from processed and restaurant foods. 97 percent of children and adolescents in America eat too much sodium, putting them at greater risk for cardiovascular diseases as they get older. It is estimated that if Americans cut their average sodium intake by more than half - to an average of 1,500 milligrams a day - there would be a nearly 26 percent decrease in high blood pressure and a savings of more than $26 billion in healthcare costs over just a year.

Where are we getting this excess sodium? Sodium can come from natural sources or be added to foods. Most foods in their natural state contain some sodium. Milk, beets, and celery also naturally contain sodium, as does drinking water, although the amount varies depending on the source. The most common form of sodium is sodium chloride, which is table salt. Table salt is 40% sodium; 1 teaspoon of table salt contains 2,300 mg of sodium. Sea salt is not any less salty. Just like table salt, it typically contains 40% sodium. Salt is not the only source of sodium. Up to 75 percent of sodium that Americans consume comes from processed foods; not the salt shaker. Lots of food that do not taste salty contain good amount of sodium. If you pay close attention to the nutrition facts on the food labels, you will realize that it's not just the French fries and potato chips you need to be careful with. Some foods that you eat several times a day, such as bread and rolls add up a lot of sodium even though each serving may not seem high in sodium. One 2 oz. serving or 6 thin slices, of deli meat can contain as much as half of your daily recommended dietery sodium. A slice of pizza with several toppings can contain more than half of your daily recommended dietery sodium. For example a bread slice will contain more than 200 mg of sodium. 1 cup (237 milliliters) of low-fat milk has about 100 mg of sodium. One tablespoon (15 milliliters) of soy sauce, for example, has about 1,000 mg of sodium. Sodium in one cup of canned soup can range from 100 to as much as 940 mg. A single meal of sandwich or burger from a fast food restaurant can contain more than 100 percent of your daily recommended dietary sodium. In addition to sodium chloride, monosodium glutamate, sodium nitrite, sodium saccharin, baking soda (sodium bicarbonate), and sodium benzoate are some of the most common ingredients that contribute to the sodium content in packaged food.

The top three categories of food with high amounts of sodium are:

• Mixed dishes (sandwiches, pizza, hamburgers, pasta, etc.)
• Meat and meat alternatives (chicken, cheese, eggs, bacon, etc.)
• Grains (bread, cold cereal, rice, pancakes, etc.)

Even some drugs contain high amounts of sodium, especially over-the-counter drugs. Look at the ingredient list and warning statement to see if the product has sodium. A statement of sodium content must be on labels of antacids that have 5 mg or more per dosage unit (tablet, teaspoon, etc.). Some companies are now producing low-sodium over-the-counter products. If in doubt, ask your doctor or pharmacist if the drug is OK for you.

Even for people who don't have high blood pressure, less sodium will significantly blunt the rise in blood pressure that occurs as they age and will reduce the risk developing other conditions, such as kidney disease, associated with eating too much sodium.

By Pratheep Nair