New research shows that a lot of Americans – almost half - should be cutting way back on the sodium in their diet. But most aren’t doing it.

These findings came out in a recent issue of the journal Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. Researchers looked at surveys that nearly 19,000 American children and adults answered from 2005 to 2008. These volunteers were kind enough to provide blood samples, have their blood pressure measured, and answer questions about everything they’d eaten and drank in the previous 24 hours.

The researchers wrote that many people should cut back their sodium to no more than 1,500 milligrams daily because they fall into one of these groups: They have high blood pressure, diabetes, or chronic kidney disease; they’re 51 years old or older; or they’re African-American

As a result, almost 48 percent of the participants in this study should have been keeping their sodium this low, they write. But almost all of them – nearly 99 percent – were consuming more on a daily basis.

That’s not all the bad news. Even if you don’t fall within one of these groups, you should still keep a close watch on the sodium lurking in your foods and drinks. People who don’t need to stick to the 1,500 limit should still aim for a daily number under 2,300 milligrams. The researchers found that the majority of people who should have been sticking to the 2,300 number – more than 88 percent – were getting too much sodium.

Cutting the salt in your diet isn’t as easy as you might hope. For example, tossing out all your salt shakers will only help most people a little. That’s because the salt you put onto your food (or that occurs naturally in food) only accounts for about 25 percent of the sodium that goes into your body. Instead, you get the majority of your sodium from processed foods and food you order in restaurants.

However, it’s not especially hard to make a dent in the sodium in your diet. A recent story in US News and World Report offered some great suggestions, including:

• Skipping the pre-made and processed foods and making more of your meals from scratch. Use lots of fresh vegetables and fruits for your meals and snacks, which are naturally low in sodium. Yes, you’ll miss out on some convenience and spend more time in the kitchen by skipping processed foods. But if your healthier eating habits help you avoid a heart attack, stroke, or other major medical problems, you may very well add healthy years to your life.
• Looking at the sodium content of items while shopping. If you do need to buy processed foods (like soup or tomato sauce), buy low-sodium varieties. If more people did this, stores would offer more of these choices.
• Rinsing off canned foods (like vegetables), if you can. You’ll send some of the sodium down the drain instead of into your plumbing.

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SOURCE:

http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm6041a1.htm?s_cid=mm6041a1_w