This is an ongoing question that researchers and doctors have gone back and forth on for years. In the 80s, doctors were telling patients that they should limit their salt intake drastically, which in turn brought about a bevy of salt substitutes and salt blends from food manufacturers. A 2013 study concluded that there are few benefits to limiting salt intake for most people. The low national dietary guidelines for sodium intake change regularly, as this study was actually conducted by a research group organized by the government.
The current levels of sodium intake suggested per day, 1500 milligrams, or less than a half teaspoon per day. They were put in place to prevent strokes and heart attacks in people who have high blood pressure. This includes other high risk groups diagnosed with diabetes, people 50 or older, African Americans, and those with kidney disease. These groups combined total more than half of the population of the United States.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states that there is no reason for anyone to limit themselves to such low levels of salt intake, and that having 2300 milligrams per day is an acceptable amount for everyone. Though complete guidelines are not set due to the recent studies, it is clear that most Americans are still consuming too much salt. Most people, all over the world and not just in the U.S. consume 3400 milligrams of salt per day, which has been unchanged for years. Doctors are still debating the exact healthy daily salt intake, but concur that 3400 milligrams is too much; therefore, salt consumption needs to be cut back for most of us.
New guidelines for salt intake are not due out until 2015. Until these new guidelines are released, we can try to keep our salt intake to a minimum in one easy way. Most of us eat too much salt because we buy processed foods loaded with sodium. This is the main reason we get more salt than needed in our diets without realizing it, making it difficult to know how much we are eating. Cooking our own fresh foods instead of purchasing processed, pre-packaged foods, and seasoning it ourselves, is an easy way to bring down the amount of salt in our foods without sacrificing flavor. If you salt food after you fill your plate, cut back on adding salt to foods when cooking. You can also experiment with spices that will add a lot of flavor to your dishes without using a lot of salt.
Tweet This Post