Which Has More Salt: Bread Or French Fries? Some Sodium Surprises
(CBS4) - Think salt, and most of us automatically think shaker. Yet more than 80% of the salt, or sodium, that we take in each day comes from food--- not what we add with a few flicks of the wrist.
And that's a big deal, since most Americans swim in salt to the point that our risk of high blood pressure, heart attack, stroke, and kidney disease shoots to the moon. Which is why the government has asked food manufacturers to cut back on the amount of salt they add to their products. The goal to get to the recommended amount of daily sodium: 2300 mg (a tad more than a teaspoon) from the current salty average of 3400 mg per day.
It's thought that making the cut can add years to your life, so the effort to reduce your intake is well worth it, and well before manufacturers get around to making the changes -- if they ever do, since the guidelines are voluntary.
The biggest problem is that if we assume the shaker is to blame -- and it usually isn't -- where are those hidden sources of salt?
So let see how sodium savvy you are.
Which of the products in each group tend to have the most sodium?
- Bread or Pretzels
- Fries or a burger
- Ketchup or potato chips
- Lunch meat or peanuts
The answers: bread, burger, ketchup and lunch meat
In fact some of the highest salt containers include stuff we all tend to eat: cheese, pizza, microwave meals, sauces and dips, salad dressings, bacon, lunch meat, donuts, canned soups, canned veggies, bread, and breakfast cereal!
Now sure, you want to go light with the shaker, but a good set of eyes while shopping can de-sodium your diet to a healthier level.
You want to pick foods with a DV (daily value) of 5% or less. 20% is too high. So read that label!
You want to go with fresh, not processed foods.
If you add salt to a recipe, you'll use less if you add after cooking, rather than before.
And finally, don't be fooled by "Sea Salt." It contains the same amount of sodium as table salt.
If you're interested, here's a cool little slideshow that reveals some hidden sodium surprises.
