Salt Sense

By Dr. Madelyn Fernstrom

You might be surprised to know that most of the salt we consume every day doesn’t come from the salt shaker – it comes from processed foods. These are the conveniently packaged, boxed, and canned products that don’t taste particularly salty, but provide nearly 80% of the salt eaten daily. Only about 10% comes from the salt shaker, with the remaining 10% naturally found in foods.

So it’s no surprise that all the messages from health agencies to cut down on salt haven’t really made a dent in the intake of most Americans. While the recommended intake for most healthy people is about 2,400 mg of sodium (one teaspoon) each day, the average daily intake for Americans is 2-3 times that. And most of it is coming from processed foods.

That’s why the Institute of Medicine’s (IOM) new guidelines advise Americans to cut down on processed foods, rather than cut down on salt. Most people believe they’re following the directive, to “cut down on salt” when they get rid of the shaker at the table, which is the crux of the problem. Kudos to the IOM for changing the message, to help people make betters choices.

While national guidelines for most healthy people suggest a daily intake of up to 2,400 mg, to support our biological need for sodium, some documented “salt-sensitive” groups (age 50+, African-American, high blood pressure, family history of high blood pressure) should aim for around 1,500 mg. And always check with your doctor, to confirm how closely you need to monitor your sodium intake.