Amanda Charbon
Recently, sodium has been given a bad rep. Registered dietitians, nutritionists, and government ad campaigns, all share the same mantra: consume less salt. The assault on salt is gaining momentum as sodium has been linked to high blood pressure, which is a major risk factor for stroke, heart disease, and kidney disease. In industrialized countries like Canada and the United States, cardiovascular problems are the primary cause of death, fueling the negative sentiments towards salt. Among people aged 19 to 70, over 85% of men and 60% of women exceed the recommended limit of sodium intake.
It is worthwhile to note here that table salt and sodium are not the same. Table salt is composed of sodium chloride, which is 40% sodium and 60% chlorine, so don’t hold back on salting water for your pasta! The main offender for sodium, not surprisingly, is processed and pre-packaged foods.
An increased consumption of processed foods not only escalates the rate of obesity and cardiac problems; these findings have led to the establishment international awareness groups such as World Action on Salt and Health (WASH). WASH was established in 2005 and aims to improve health worldwide by gradually reducing salt intake. WASH has established a ‘World Salt Awareness Week’ that serves as a platform for international experts in hypertension to raise awareness of the importance of salt reduction.
Media coverage of salt intake reduction has been prominent, with Campbell soups being the forerunner of the advertising campaigns. From 2008 to present, Campbell publicized cutting the equivalent of 30 million teaspoons of salt from their soups.Walk down the soup aisle of the grocery store and you will see can after can of ‘reduced salt’ or ‘low sodium’ soups. The trend doesn’t stop at soups – it expanses the entire grocery store from canned tuna to frozen dinners. Yet, even with the label ‘reduced salt,’ these products may still have high calories and a high fat content (including saturated fat).
The Canadian government has financed many campaigns promoting the reduction of sodium in Canadian diets. In October 2007, federal Health Minister Tony Clement announced that the Government of Canada would establish an expert Sodium Working Group on Dietary Sodium Reduction to explore options for reducing sodium intake. At the September 2010 Federal, Provincial, and Territorial Health Ministers' Meeting, a goal was set to reduce the sodium intake of Canadians to an average of 2,300 mg per day by 2016. Canadians consume an estimated average of 3,400 mg of sodium daily, but the recommended intake ranges from 1,000 to 1,500 mg per day.
Another action the government has undertaken to promote awareness of sodium levels in food is the mandatory nutrition labels for pre-packaged foods, which came fully into effect in 2007. The nutrition labels include a Nutrition Facts table that lists ‘sodium’ as one of thirteen nutrients that must appear on the labels.
With all the recent discussion surrounding the dangers of sodium, it is imperative to take a step back and ask, “Is the fear warranted? Is sodium really dangerous to your health?” The short answer is, “No.” While sodium may be a factor for the increased risk of heart disease, in moderation salt is necessary and healthy for humans. Sodium is naturally produced in the human body and when consuming sodium in moderation there is little risk. The problem is not with sodium itself, but with the increasing consumption of pre-packaged and processed foods.
The war should not be against salt, but against fast and frozen foods. For university students especially, fast and frozen foods are the bread and butter of our diet: they’re simple, fast, easy, and taste good. While companies like Campbell’s have taken steps to reduce sodium, the focus should be on healthy eating, not solely on salt. If an individual eats unhealthily, it is likely their sodium levels will heighten dramatically. Heightened sodium levels are consistently found in overweight individuals, and as a cause of the climbing obesity rates in Canada and the US, obesity has been nicknamed the ‘silent killer’.
In a study conducted by doctors on the affects of excessive sodium intake, their conclusions mirror sentiments of healthy eating as the study states the need for “individuals to make changes in buying behaviour and exercise healthy choices.” To do this, the study proposes that, “Increasing individual awareness and knowledge are critical factors in enabling healthy food choices and in building support for policy changes in the individuals’ environment. Informed consumers also have an impact by creating a demand for lower-sodium food products and restaurant meals.” An informed consumer, then, is a healthy consumer. If the average Canadian based their diet on fruits, steamed vegetables, multigrains, and home-cooked meals, there would not be a need for these campaigns against salt.
It is inevitable that if people consistently eat processed and pre-packaged foods, their salt intake will be greatly increased, leading to a heightened risk of cardiovascular diseases. The issue at heart here (no pun intended) should be on consistent healthy eating, instead of slamming the ingredient that humans have been using for centuries: salt.
REFERENCES
Sodium: Questions and Answers, 12 29, 2010, http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/fn-an/nutrition/sodium/qa-sodium-qr-eng.php#a6 (accessed 03 05, 2011).
Sodium Consumption at All Ages, April 10, 2007, http://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/82-003-x/2006004/article/sodium/4148995-eng.htm (accessed March 06, 2011).
Roberta Larson Duyff, American Dietetic Association: Complete Food and Nutrition Guide (New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 2006).
October 2008, http://campbellsoup.ca/en/about/pdf/rediscover-campbells-oct-08.pdf (accessed March 06, 2011).
Its Your Health, March 2008, http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/hl-vs/alt_formats/pacrb-dgapcr/pdf/iyh-vsv/food-aliment/sodium_eng.pdf (accessed March 06, 2011).
Sodium: Questions and Answers, 12 29, 2010, http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/fn-an/nutrition/sodium/qa-sodium-qr-eng.php#a6 (accessed 03 05, 2011).
Sodium: Questions and Answers, 12 29, 2010, http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/fn-an/nutrition/sodium/qa-sodium-qr-eng.php#a6 (accessed 03 05, 2011).
Sodium: Questions and Answers, 12 29, 2010, http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/fn-an/nutrition/sodium/qa-sodium-qr-eng.php#a6 (accessed 03 05, 2011).
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