Salt. You need it to survive, but what you don’t need is too much of it. The sodium in salt helps muscles relax and contract, aids in conducting nerve impulses and balances the water and minerals in the body. But consuming too much sodium may contribute to health issues, such as high blood pressure, kidney disease, heart failure, heart attack, stroke, osteoporosis and headaches.
Our bodies only need about 500 milligrams (mg) of sodium a day to carry out essential functions. The U.S. dietary guidelines recommend that people ages 14 and up limit sodium to 2,300 mg or less daily. But the average American gets about 3,400 mg of sodium each day! Much of the sodium in our diets doesn’t come from a salt shaker. It’s mostly in processed foods and restaurant meals.
In an effort to help Americans reduce their sodium intake, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently asked food manufacturers and chain restaurants to voluntarily reduce the sodium in their food. These are just recommendations, not mandates, so it’s not known how much this will help. If you want to lower your sodium intake, it’s up to you to tweak the foods you buy, how you cook and what you eat.
Here are 5 ways to reduce the amount of sodium in your diet:
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