When the U.S. Food and Drug Administration mulls over whether to set limits on salt content in processed foods — after being strongly urged to do so in November by such groups as the American Medical Association and the Center for Science in the Public Interest — you may be wondering how to reduce your own sodium intake to the recommended daily limit of 2,300 milligrams for most healthy people. (The daily limit is lower — 1,500 milligrams — for African-Americans, those with high blood pressure, and middle-aged and older adults, according to the 2005 U.S. Dietary Guidelines.)
Here are some suggestions for cutting back on salt, provided by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute and Stephen Havas, vice president for science, quality, and public health at the American Medical Association.
• Cook from scratch so you know exactly what’s in your food.
• When you do opt for ready- made pizza or other packaged foods, choose products that say they’re sodium free, very low in sodium, light in sodium, or unsalted or have low or reduced sodium.
• Substitute spices, herbs, and salt-free blends for salt in cooking and at the dinner table.
• Watch for sodium and salt content. Table salt is a form of sodium chloride, but other forms of sodium are also included in foods.
• Avoid instant foods such as pasta, rice and cereals, which usually include salt. Spaghetti sauce, according to the CSPI, contains 270 to 770 milligrams of sodium per serving, depending on the brand.
• Eat lots of fruits and vegetables because they have “essentially no sodium,” Havas says.
• At restaurants, ask your server which foods the restaurant prepares without adding salt. “The more restaurants hear this, the more they’re going to change the way they’re cooking,” Havas says.
• Rinse canned foods to wash off some of the salt.
Salmon Dip with Cucumbers
Holiday parties can be a diet-sabotaging prospect, with calorie-heavy appetizers, rich entrees and drinks. A number of ideas for tasty but healthy treats are offered in Weight Watchers’ “Mix It, Match It” cookbook, available at meetings for $19.95. To locate groups, got to and click on the “find a meeting” icon, or call 800-651-6000. Preparation time, 10 minutes. Makes 6 servings.
Ingredients
pound smoked salmon, chopped
1 8-ounce container fat-free sour cream
1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill
1 teaspoons prepared horseradish
1 teaspoon lemon juice
teaspoon black pepper
2 cucumbers, cut into rounds
Directions
Put half the salmon, the sour cream, dill, horseradish, lemon juice and pepper in a food processor or blender; pulse just to combine. Transfer to a small bowl, stir in the remaining salmon and serve with the cucumber rounds.
Per serving: cup dip and cup cucumber rounds): 56 cal, 1 g fat, 0 g sat. fat, 0 g trans fat, 4 mg chol, 434 mg sodium, 6 g carbohydrates, 1 g fiber, 5 g protein, 63 mg calcium.
