An article published on the New York Times Web site today stated that American Medical Association officials are declaring an "urgent need" for Americans to lower the amount of sodium in our diets. The problem isn't the salt we're putting on our foods, but the amount of salt that is already in the food we're eating.
According to the A.M.A., if Americans cut their sodium intake in half, they could lower deaths from heart disease and stroke by 23 percent.
The average American takes in 4,000 milligrams of sodium per day, but the average person under 50 only needs about 1,500.
The article had a link for a table listing the sodium content of some processed and packaged foods. One order of lasagna has 2,000 milligrams of sodium, well over the amount of sodium one person needs. Two tablespoons of soy sauce have anywhere from 1,840 to 2,520 milligrams of sodium.
The article made me think about the "Hawaiian chicken" I had for dinner tonight, and the three spoonfuls of soy sauce I poured on my rice. Not to mention the salt I put on my rice. Sodium is an aspect of my diet that I don't consider at all when I decide what to eat. I worry about fats, sugars, oils and the amount of greens I'm eating, but I usually don't think about sodium.
Reading this article will make me more conscious of my food choices when it comes to sodium content. Most of the sodium we eat come from restaurant and processed food, so the best way to cut down on sodium would be to eat out less. Trying to eating less sodium will hopefully help me save more money by skipping out on restaurant meals.
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