Salt is sodium, but not all sodium is salt. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website:
“Most of the sodium Americans eat comes from packaged, processed, store-bought and restaurant foods. Only a small amount comes from salt added during cooking or at the table. In fact, most Americans already get more daily sodium than recommended before they ever pick up a salt shaker.”
Recipe included with this story: Simmered Chicken Meatballs
Furthermore, according to the Food and Drug Administration, in general, Americans should not consume more than 2,300 mg of sodium per day; for others, who are “more sensitive to the effects of salt,” they should limit their intake to 1,500 mg.
Thank goodness there are more and more low-sodium ingredients available, so I’m not compromising convenience for health when I’m cooking. Even though I’m not on a doctor-ordered low-sodium diet, I appreciate the health benefits. Like many of us, I am genetically predisposed to high blood pressure and other cardiac complications. So watching what I eat is crucial to heart health.
How do we reduce our sodium intake? Limit the use of highly processed foods. Cook more often at home, and use as many low-sodium and reduced-sodium ingredients as possible. Add salt at the table to individual portions only after tasting. Careful, though — you can easily over-salt your dish if you go wild with the shaker. Stop, taste, and salt incrementally, pouring it into your hand, then sprinkling with your fingers. Your heart will thank you.
— Alicia Ross, Kitchen Scoop
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