Major Dietary Sources of Sodium
How to Cut Down Sodium in Your Diet?
Sodium
Sodium is quite an essential element that is found naturally in many foods. Your body needs a little amount of this wonder element in the daily diet for controlling BP as well as blood volume, and for proper functioning. This is because of its aid in the following bodily functions:
- Sodium helps in maintaining the correct balance of fluids in the body
- It also aids in the diffusion of nerve impulses
- Sodium also affects muscle relaxation & contractions
Sodium Level
The kidneys are known to naturally balance your body’s sodium level for maintaining optimal health. However, if, for any reason whatsoever, your kidneys are unable to get rid of enough sodium, then it starts building up in the blood. Now, as sodium is known to attract and hold water, this increased volume of sodium in your blood can possibly make your heart work much harder, which can in turn increase pressure in arteries. Conditions like cirrhosis, congestive heart failure, and chronic kidney disease can also make it harder for the kidneys to keep the sodium level balanced in the body.
Sodium Intake
A major chunk of people tends to consume several times the amount of sodium they actually need. The ideal sodium level in the diet is less than 2.3 gm (a teaspoon) of sodium per day. However, people having certain medical conditions like high BP, kidney diseases, and heart issues may benefit from a low-sodium diet. There is a connect between sodium and heart disease.
Reducing Sodium Intake
Lowering the intake of sodium reduces BP in people with high or marginal hypertension. Lowering sodium intake also helps prevent fluid buildup in the legs (lower) or abdomen areas. People suffering from chronic kidney disease or heart failure need to control their sodium intake to avoid volume overload, which results in increasing BP that can cause swelling. Apart from directly lowering the BP, low sodium intake also improves the effectiveness of BP medicines and other non-drug BP treatments, including weight reduction.
Ideal Sodium Intake
Many professional organizations have published evidence-based guidelines about the reduction of sodium intake. Many doctors agree that people having high BP must consume less than 2.3 gm (i.e. 2,300 milligrams) of sodium each day. People having other medical conditions may be advised by their doctors to consume an even lesser amount.
Major Dietary Sources of Sodium
- Processed/prepared foods. The majority of sodium in a typical diet usually comes from prepared & processed food items, which are often high in salts and sodium-containing additives. Some of these include pieces of bread, pizza, soup, fast food, cheeses, pasta, meat dishes, eggs, etc.
- Natural sources of sodium. Some foods contain sodium naturally like various vegetables as well as dairy products.
How to Cut Down Sodium in Your Diet?
- Fresh fruits & veggies are low in sodium naturally. Additionally, a diet that is rich in fresh fruits & veggies provides a lot of health benefits. The DASH (Dietary-Approaches-to-Stop-Hypertension) diet is also a well-known intervention.
- Avoid taking outside foods as much as possible. If that’s somehow not possible, then choose the eating joints offering fruit and/or veggies without much sauces, dressings, or marinades. Go for bland, salt-less food preparations often, whenever it is possible.
- Choose products that are low in sodium. If you buy processed foods, choose the ones that are labeled low in sodium.
- Try avoiding food products with more than 200 mg of sodium in one serving.
- Make it a habit to read labels for serving sizes & sodium content on canned foods, bottles, and frozen food items.
- List down the healthier food options, which are low in sodium as substitutes.
- Don’t add salt to your food right before eating.
- Avoid foods that contain soda ash or sodium bicarbonate (baking soda).
Take Dietary Advice from Dr. Arun
Dr. Arun is a highly experienced board-certified interventional cardiologist, whom you can contact for seeking the best advice on heart-healthy diet planning!
