Practical Tips to Reduce Sodium Consumption

Sodium. A mineral that can make food taste so good! Like fat and sugar, most people consume plenty of sodium without even trying.

Roles of Sodium

• fluid, acid-base, and electrolyte balance
• primary ion for maintaining the volume of fluid outside of cells
• muscle contraction
• nerve transmission

 

Unless you’re an athlete who performs in hot, humid weather, you are most likely not in danger of being deficient in sodium. To give you an idea of the amount of excess sodium Americans consume I’ll provide you with these numbers:

The Daily Recommended Intake (DRI):

• 1500mg for active adults
• 1300mg for 51-70 year olds
• 1200mg for the elderly

 

The Tolerable Upper Intake Level (UL) is 2300mg; this means consuming sodium at or below 2300mg is most likely to not cause adverse affects in most healthy individuals. However, consuming sodium in excess of 2300mg/day is likely to cause adverse health affects like hypertension and other cardiovascular or health complications. The average American consumes ~3400mg of sodium/day, exceeding the UL by far.

So what can you do to reduce your sodium intake?

 

 

 

source https://betterweightloss.info/practical-tips-to-reduce-sodium-consumption/