Heart and Stroke Foundation says:
Shake your salt habit
By Alyssa Rolnick, RD
Canadians love their salt. We buy a lot of foods loaded with it or we shake it on almost everything we eat from soup to nuts consuming two or even three times the recommended amount of sodium (an ingredient in table salt) that our bodies actually need, often without realizing it. Too much sodium may increase blood pressure, the number one risk factor for stroke and a major contributor to heart disease.
Because our diets are generally so high in salt, everybody even those with normal blood pressure can benefit from reducing their salt intake. People with high blood pressure or who belong to certain ethnic backgrounds need to be extra cautious. Research studies have shown that First Nations people and those of African or South Asian descent tend to have higher rates of high blood pressure and for that reason are at greater risk of heart disease and stroke than the general population.
In today’s world of fast and convenience foods, the Heart and Stroke Foundation recommends that Canadians eat less than 2,300 mg of sodium (about 1 tsp / 5 mL of salt) a day total from processed foods and salt added during food preparation and at the table. For those who have been diagnosed with high blood pressure (hypertension), or those who are salt sensitive, sodium intake should be limited to 1,500 mg (2/3 tsp) a day.
Here are five easy ways to reduce your salt intake:
Cook from scratch
One of the best ways to control salt intake is to prepare more home-cooked meals. Buy ingredients to make homemade soups, casseroles and sauces rather than using commercially prepared or canned varieties. For a low-sodium soup recipe, whip up our fresh herb soup.
Make your own topping
Ketchup, mayonnaise, sauces, spreads and salad dressings all contain loads of sodium. Make salad dressings from healthy unsaturated oils (olive, canola, soybean), vinegar, and crushed garlic. Top them off with fresh oregano, tarragon, dill, paprika, chili flakes, parsley, grated ginger, cumin or coriander whatever might appeal to your palate. Alternatively, sprinkle toasted sesame seeds or almonds on steamed broccoli or green beans. Serve our guacamole with rice crackers as a low-salt spread or as an appetizer or snack.
Go tropical
Use fruit sauces for meat, chicken or fish by creating mixtures of orange, pineapple, mango or other tropical fruit. Make our tea poached salmon with fruit salsa.
Seesaw between sweet and sour
Vegetables can be livened up with sweet or sour choices. Use maple syrup, honey, cinnamon, nutmeg or allspice on baked squash or sweet potato. Vegetables get a lift from a splash of lemon, orange, or balsamic vinegar. For a wonderful tasting side dish that doesn’t need any help from salt, try our oven-roasted asparagus.
Read the Nutrition Facts table
On packaged and processed foods, look for lower-salt varieties whenever possible: no more than 240 mg for appetizers and side dishes per serving, 480 mg or less for soups and 720 mg or less for dinners, entrees, and mixed dishes. In the ingredients list, watch out for other forms of sodium under these names: monosodium glutamate (MSG), baking soda, baking powder, disodium phosphate and any compounds that have sodium in its name.