Salt is everywhere in our foods. Some hidden in places you would have never thought of looking. As Spock said many times, Live Long and Prosper, knowing where that hidden salt is allows you to do just that. Live Long.
The first important fact is reading labels to see not only the sodium content but also the ingredient list.
Here is a sample of what to look for...
Start looking at the foods you like and see where the sodium really is. Here is a sample list of a few foods showing their average sodium and how the total per day can put you way over the top of your heart healthy goal.
Bread
180mg to 450mg per slice
Pizza 340mg to 980 per slice
Hamburger 480mg to over 1,000 per burger
Potato Chips130 to 500mg per 28 grams / 1 ounce (that's about a hand full)
French Fry's 245 to 1,100 per serving (depending on where they are made)
Cheddar Cheese 174mg per ounce
Pepper Jack Cheese 490mg per ounce
•Salted fish. Eating salted fish, a popular food in Asian countries, raises the risk for cancers of the nose, stomach and colon. Studies also link consumption of highly salty foods, including fish, to increased threat of ovarian and prostate cancer. Also be wary of caviar: A 2010 study of 77,500 Japanese men and women found that those who ate salted fish roe the most frequently had the highest overall rate of cancer. Classification: Known carcinogen.
All nutritional facts are based on the serving size. 1 slice, 1 cup or even 1 tablespoon. The important fact is to look at the label and see the size of each serving.
Once you have determined the serving size you can than look at the sodium per serving.
You can see that the label on the left shows a sodium of 110mg while the label on the right shows 470mg per serving.
Keep in mind your looking to archive a heart healthy sodium level of 1500 millagrams total per day.
The other nutritional facts are also important such as fiber and sugars. For men it is recommended fiber of 35 grams per day and women 25 grams per day. Sugar is suggested to be 100 grams per day total.
You may also want to keep tract of the total calories per day to keep your body in its comfort zone based on height and frame.
