While proponents of healthier eating give trans fat, saturated fat and sugar a regular pummeling, sodium seems, at times, to fly under the radar.
But excessive sodium in one's diet can cause its own set of problems, such as high blood pressure. It's also associated with congestive heart failure.
Recently, the New York City Restaurant Association proposed cutting back by 25 percent the amount of sodium in its meals. But changing dietary habits may be a bit more challenging as groceries have aisles packed with sodium-filled items.
"Where salt is an issue is in processed food and restaurant food, anywhere you have pre-prepared foods," said Diane York, a health promotion specialist at the HealthPark.
Salt is used as a preservative so canned green beans, for example, can stay edible for more than a year. Conversely, fresh green beans may last about a week or so.
It's estimated that 75 to 80 percent of the sodium an average person takes in comes from processed food, and about 6 percent comes from the table salt shaker.
"All those prepared foods on the grocery shelf are processed and have sodium added, even if you can't taste it," York said.
There's high sodium content in canned soups or broths, frozen dinners, snacks such as cookies, crackers and chips, and the bevy of canned food that line grocery shelves.
"It's a worthwhile goal (to reduce a person's sodium), but it needs to be in context with a healthy diet," York said. "It's not all about low-fat food, no sugar, no carbs and no salt. It's about moderation in everything. "Where salt becomes a problem is when you have a weakened heart muscle." Congestive heart failure is a heart that does not pump blood as well as it should, preventing blood from moving efficiently through the circulatory system. When it starts backing up, it increases the pressure in the blood vessels, forcing fluid from the blood vessels into body tissues. When the left side of the heart begins failing, fluid collects in the lungs, making it more difficult to breathe. When the right side of the heart begins failing, fluid collects in the feet and lower legs. As the failure becomes worse, the upper legs swell and eventually the abdomen collects fluid. "People with that type of heart problem have to watch their salt more strictly than maybe somebody in the 20s or 30s who's healthy," York said. Studies show that 30 percent of Americans who have high blood pressure would benefit from a low-sodium diet. "If you thought more about whole foods, you wouldn't go up and down the aisles very much," York said. "You'd go through the produce section, meat section, breads and pasta, dairy and then go out the door."
York recommended yogurt and fruit for breakfast, a turkey sandwich, vegetable and salad for lunch, and a piece of beef or chicken, potato, salad, roll and fruit, ice cream or yogurt for dinner. York said that while salt is something that needs to be monitored, obesity is a greater issue. George Skiadas, the owner of Famous Bistro in downtown Owensboro, had a mild stroke several years ago and became more health conscious with his restaurant's menu. "Our whole concept evolved around a more healthy presentation," Skiadas said. "We've been practicing that for a long time. There are a couple of exceptions. But we've been substituting sea salt for a long time because it's a healthier salt, not a processed salt, and easier on the (body)." Skiadas said using less sodium would not be difficult for restaurants. He said lemon is a good substitute for salt's flavor.
