Tips for Lowering your Sodium Intake

Hi!

This is still part of the fictitious website on 'sodium & health' a classmate and I developed (see previous posts). We had to write the content, take the pictures, and make a video... :)

Tips for Lowering Your Sodium Intake

Even though lots of foods are high in sodium, it doesn’t mean your sodium intake has to be high!

Here are some tips to help you lower your sodium intake.

At the grocery store:

• Fill your cart with fresh and unprocessed foods, like fruits, vegetables, lean meats, whole grains, and lower-fat milk and alternatives. These foods naturally contain less sodium.

• Read nutrition labels. The amount of sodium is listed as a “Daily Value” percentage that tells you how much sodium a product contains. Your best choice is a product with less than 5% sodium per serving size.

• Choose foods that have the claims “Salt-Free”, “Reduced in Sodium”, or “Low in Sodium”.

• Buy unsalted versions of foods like nuts, pretzels, crackers and popcorn.

At home:

• Remove the salt shaker from your table. Instead, flavour your food with herbs and spices.

• Don’t add salt when you cook or bake, or use less than the recipe suggests.

• Rinse canned foods like tuna, chickpeas and beans under running water for one minute to reduce the sodium content.

At restaurants:

• Ask to see the nutrition information and choose foods lowest in sodium. Many chain restaurants have nutrition information on their websites.

• Request your meal to be prepared with no added salt.

• Be careful of large portion sizes. Split a menu item with your dining partner, or take half home in a doggy bag.

• Ask for sauces and dressings “on the side” so you can control how much you put on your food.