Too much of sodium (salt) is in our food; where does it come?

It is well known that there are convincing evidences that sodium intake correlates with blood pressure. 1500 mg is the advised intake per day for persons who have high blood pressure. 1300 mg/day for persons 50 to 70 years old and 1200 mg/day for those above 70 years and old are recommended. For all the others a maximum of 2300 mg/day is the right amount. Many take in our world more sodium than they have to take. Many ask me we use very carefully salt and where the possibility to cut more is. The processed foods contain more sodium than we think. Almost many of the sweets have more salt than you think.

In many countries we do not know how much salt is there in the processed food and there are no data available. On the other hand you must know that all the processed food has salt in high amount. Are we addicted to salt or are the food companies responsible? Both are right. If we could reduce the amount of salt intake hundreds of thousands of deaths can be avoided every year in our world that occurs because of heart diseases and high blood pressure.

We see some of the examples from USA here and they include:

• White bread .....................................130 to 230 mg sodium per slice
• Spaghetti rings .................................850 to 1070 mg sodium per cup
• Spaghetti sauce .................................310 to 770 mg per half-cup
• Tomato soup .....................................380 to 1900 mg per cup
• Soy sauce .......................................920 to 1260 mg per tablespoon
• Cheese ..........................................270 to 390 mg per slice
• Cheese pizza ....................................1080 to 2340 mg per pizza
• Pepperoni pizza .................................1740 to 2700 mg per piece
• French fries ....................................220 to 640 mg, medium size
• Fried chicken dinners ...........................1010 mg to 2160 mg per pack
• Potato chips ....................................160 mg to 370 mg per ounce
• Breakfast sandwiches ............................730 mg to 1290 mg
• Chicken nuggets .................................450 to 1590 mg
• Caesar salad with grilled chicken ...............1320 to 1610 mg

All the sweets, cakes, biscuits and others have high amount of sugar. We see few examples here and they include:

• Corn flakes .....................................1170 mg per 100 g
• Fruit cake ......................................250 mg per 100 g
• Cake, plain .....................................380 mg per 100 g
• Fruit pie .......................................210 mg per 100 g
• Jam tart ........................................230 mg per 100 g
• Muesli ..........................................270 mg per 100 g
• Margarine .......................................840 mg per 100 g
• Bacon, rashers, fried ...........................1870 mg per 100 g
• Ham canned ......................................1250 mg per 100 g
• Luncheon meant, canned ..........................1050 mg per 100 g
• Salami, slices ..................................1850 mg per 100 g
• Cheese, camembert ...............................1410 mg per 100 g
• Danish blue .....................................1420 mg per 100 g
• Parmesan .........................................760 mg per 100 g

Processed foods throughout the world contain too much sodium.

Think of the salted fish or salted dry meat or the different pickles used in Asia or the spices. These have also excess salt and thus sodium.

We need sodium and without sodium we cannot live. But, the dose makes the poison. Cook your food freshly or take lot of fruits and vegetables. Raw food is also very good; this is a best reason to eat salad every day.

Teach your children from the beginning that too much of sodium is bad for health. Once they come in contact with the taste of sodium, they can become addict to salt.

What role does calcium und potassium play in blood pressure?

Calcium is important to have normal blood pressure and it also functions as a natural diuretic to mild the effects of much sodium intake.

Calcium supplement gives contradictory results, 80% benefit from the supplementation and in 20% the blood pressure goes marginally up. Dairy products containing low fat and vegetables are also good sources of calcium. Talk to the dietician to know the right food to you.

Potassium can also reduce blood pressure and it is proved that low potassium diet increases blood pressure. The mechanism behind is that too little potassium in the blood lead to sodium retention and high blood pressure.

Fruits, vegetables and fish are rich in potassium.

How can sodium (salt) increase the blood pressure?

We all know that sodium is important for our health. Moreover, we eat lot of salted food and this applicable to all countries in our world.

Processed, junk and fast food also contain too much salt. Sweet food like corn flakes also contain too much of salt. It is not different from other bakery products like cakes, biscuits and others. Chips and salted nuts also contain too much of salt. Everybody in this world take 3 to 9 times more sodium than the recommended daily in take.

Sodium narrows the blood vessels, the heart must pump more and the blood pressure goes up.

Moreover, sodium can also retain more water in our body. The blood is diluted, the amount is increased and more pressure is needed to pump the blood properly. The blood pressure goes up.

Less sodium is dangerous for our health. It regulates the water balance in our body. If you stop completely it is deadly.

I have diabetes, I used to take cornflakes every morning, is it acceptable?

This is a very, very frequently asked question from people from all the countries. The children first like the colourful packs and then the sweet corn flakes with many tastes.

Corn flakes are made from maize and contain lot of sugar. More than 80% of corn flakes are carbohydrates and so it is not good for people who have problem with sugar.

During processing many minerals and vitamins are destroyed and only a few are added later as supplements. Processed food has more chemical additives.

Although corn flakes are sweet they contain lot of salt (sodium).

I am not telling that you must avoid this if you are healthy. If some food tastes you well first you must try to understand the risks from the food. Once you have the information you could decide what is good and what is not?

If you have diabetes I have no understanding for your food habits. You must eat fresh food with lot of vegetables and less carbohydrates. At the same time your body must get all the minerals, vitamins and other phytochemicals from your food.

Talk to your dietician and he could write a healthy and good diet plan.

Sodium's role in Human Body

Sodium is an essential element for the human body. Without sodium muscles and nerves will not function. The water and mineral balance are also maintained by sodium.

Increased sodium intake retains more fluid in the blood and the increased volume of blood needs the heart to work harder to pump the blood thus increasing the blood pressure.

Arterioles are blood vessels which dilate and constrict to regulate the blood pressure and they are contracting under the influence of sodium which increases the blood pressure.

At present it is not possible to find out who may be sensitive to the effects of sodium. This is the reason why all are advised to limit the sodium intake. You should not stop salt completely and it is also dangerous to your health.

Diets high in potassium and calcium may help to decrease the blood pressure. All the other risk factors – obesity, too much of alcohol, smoking - must be eliminated. Physical activity is a must everyday – 30 min quick walking is enough.

The amount of daily recommended intake of sodium is 2 g to 3 g per day. If you sweat excess you must take more to replace the loss of sodium.

Little sodium is found in nuts, grains, fruits, vegetables and in meats. Much is used in cooking or as table salt. It is also present in our pickles, chips and all the salted fish and snacks. In the food processing the industry is also using many sodium salts as preserving and flavour enhancing agents and moreover used as additives. So unknowingly we may take three to nine times more sodium than we need.

If you eat the unprocessed fresh food or food cooked by you then everything is under control. You must be very critical with processed food as well as commercial chips and other snacks. Never use too much of the table salt.

We should not avoid sodium completely and if you do so it is dangerous for your life.