Wellness Tuesday: Where is the Sodium?
According to Heart.org, approximately 75% of the sodium we eat comes from processed foods and restaurant foods.
Sodium is found in most foods
Food labels cannot claim a product is “Healthy” if it has 480mg per labeled serving or more than 600mg per labeled serving dish.
According to the FDA as a general rule:
- 5% DV or less of sodium per serving is low
- 20% DV or more of sodium per serving is high
Surprisingly, eating plenty of potassium can help balance out high blood pressure caused by too much sodium.
Some sodium related terminology we may find:
| Sodium-Free | Less than 5 milligrams of sodium per serving and contains no sodium chloride | |
| Very Low Sodium | 35 milligrams or less per serving | |
| Low-Sodium | 140 milligrams or less per serving | |
| Reduced (or less) sodium | At least 25 percent less sodium per serving than the usual sodium level | |
| Light (for sodium-reduced products) | If the food is “low calorie” and “low fat” and sodium is reduced by at least 50 percent per serving | |
Light in sodium | If sodium is reduced by at least 50 percent per serving |
Are you familiar with these terms?