FAN Wellness Message - April

Sodium Nutrition Labels
Salt Myths
Salt Myths For Kids
Corn Bread Recipe

We all love our chips and pretzels but most of us eat too much salt, and doing so can lead to high blood pressure—which can lead to stroke, heart disease, and kidney disease.

Did you know that the average American eats between 4,200-9,000 mg (milligrams) of salt per day? This is too much! We need to keep track of the amount of salt in packaged foods and the amount we cook with. The USDA MyPlate Guidelines state that Americans should reduce their sodium intake to less than 2,300 mg a day, which is about 1 teaspoon of salt. Some groups are more sensitive to salt (i.e., people with hypertension or prehypertension). These groups are advised to eat less salt (about 1,500 mg or 1/2 tsp).

It’s easy to taste the salt on pretzels, potato chips, and french fries. However, some foods are saltier than we might think, even if we cannot taste it as easily. For example, 1/2 cup of cooked spaghetti sauce can have around 600 mg of salt—over 25% of what we should eat in one day! Ketchup, mustard, canned soups, and prepared salad dressings can also have high amounts of salt. But don’t feel discouraged! You can make healthful choices when you know where to look for hidden salt and how to fight it!

Click the links above for more information on myths about salt intake, how to read food labels and the “healthy swap” cornbread recipe.