Shake the Sodium

Thrifty Foods shakes the salt!

Salt has had a long and influential role in world history, including being a key factor in economic, religious, social and political development. It was even used as currency at one point in time! Adding salt to foods was originally a preservation technique. Today it is also used to enhance the moisture and flavour of foods.

Unfortunately, eating too much salt has put Canadians' lives in jeopardy. Excess sodium intake is one of the major causes of high blood pressure as well as pre-hypertension. As blood pressure increases above recommended levels, so do the risks of heart attack, congestive heart failure, stroke, and kidney disease. The recommended adequate intake for sodium is 1200mg-1500mg sodium per day. It is estimated that Canadian adults consume about 3500 milligrams of sodium per day - that's over twice the level recommended for good health!

Researchers have found that for every gram of salt cut from the diet, there would be 250,000 fewer new cases of heart disease and more than 200,000 fewer heart-related deaths in the next 10 years.

It's never too late to change our ways, and researchers say that even a modest decrease in the amount of salt- hardly detectable in food- could have a huge impact on our overall health and disease prevention.

Great A-salt!

With only 15% coming from the salt shaker, 77% of our daily sodium intake comes from processed foods and eating out. According to a recent Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS) - a nationally representative survey of more than 35,000 Canadians- sandwiches, submarines, and pizza are some of the leading sources of sodium in the Canadian diet.

To help you attain healthy sodium intake, Thrifty Foods is proud to offer a variety of low sodium breads to help. Take action, always read food labels and look for choices that are low in sodium containing 140mg per serving or less.

Note: a teaspoon of table salt equals 2,325 mg sodium

To limit the amount of salt in your diet:

  • Eat fewer processed foods such as cured meats, bacon, lunchmeats and frozen dinners
  • Eat more fresh, unprocessed foods such as fresh fruits, vegetables, lean meats, poultry, fish and unprocessed grains.
  • Choose low-sodium or reduced-sodium processed foods.
  • Don't add salt to your food. Instead, use herbs and spices to flavour foods.

Smile corner: Looking to decrease your salt intake? A little pointer to choosing less processed foods - Skip foods that list ingredients you cannot pronounce!

More information on how to achieve a reduced sodium diet: