Sodium: Recommendation and Food Sources

Sodium: Recommendation and Food Sources
We rarely eat too little sodium; in fact, most of us eat substantially more than we need. Actual sodium requirements by the body are relatively small – only a few hundred milligrams daily.

In order to make sure that the diet contains adequate amounts of all nutrient, however, the Food and Nutrition Board set the Al for sodium for adults at 1,500 milligrams per day.

The Tolerable Upper Intake Level for sodium is 2,300 milligrams per day. This suggested maximum level is echoed in the American Heart Association’s Diet and Lifestyle Recommendations.

Food sources
The typical American diet contains 3,000 to 6,000 milligrams of sodium daily. Not only do Americans consumes more than the recommended amounts of sodium, but they also are poor judges of the amount of sodium in their diets.

Surprisingly, processed foods – not table salt - contribute the most sodium.

70 % of the sodium in the American diet comes from processed foods. In addition to being higher in sodium, these foods are often lacking in many other nutrients such as fiber and antioxidants.

Soy sauce and other sauces; pickled foods; salty or smoked meats, cheese and fish; salted snack foods; bullion cubes and canned and instant soups are all high sodium foods.

Seasoning based in salt ( e.g. lemon salt and seasoning salt) and those containing the flavor enhancer monosodium glutamate (MSG) are also high in sodium.

If your diet is cased on Asian foods that contain liberal amounts of soy sauce and MSG you could be taking in 12,000 to 16,000 milligrams of sodium per day.

Your intestinal tract absorbs nearly all dietary sodium, which then travels throughout the body in the bloodstream. Your kidneys, those remarkable organ, retain the exact amount of sodium the body needs and excrete the excess sodium in the urine along with water.

Taking in too much sodium and not enough water can worsen dehydration. The old practice of giving athletes salt tablets before or after exercise is unnecessary and possibly harmful.

On the other hand, radical sodium restriction is not a good idea either. Even though most American consume to much sodium, severe sodium restriction can limit the availability of other essential nutrients such as vitamin B6, calcium, iron and magnesium.
Sodium: Recommendation and Food Sources