A Matter Of Balance

You might be aware of dietary advice to consume a moderate amount of sodium. Some people mistakenly try to eliminate foods that contain sodium from their diets.  But sodium is an essential nutrient and your diet must supply a small amount of sodium to meet the body's requirements. A common sodium recommendation that you might see is to consume 'less than 2.3g salt per day'.  Other guidelines for sodium exist, however, it is difficult to identify a single value that is right for everyone. Scientists are working to understand more about the role of sodium in health, including how different individuals respond to this nutrient in their diets, this may change the current guidelines for sodium. Australian Dietary Guideline is to "choose foods low in salt".

Food Focus

Salt (sodium chloride) enhances food flavours, helps preserve foods, and contributes to the flavour of cheese, processed meats, and baked goods e.g. bread.  Foods can have other sodium-containing ingredients, but these generally contribute only small amounts of dietary sodium.  It is important to realise that sodium-containing foods can also be rich sources of vitamins and minerals.  For example, cheese is rich in calcium, and most breakfast cereals provide vitamins and minerals and can be sources of dietary fibre.

Nutrition Focus

Sodium is important for regulating the body’s fluid balance, maintaining proper blood pressure and volume, and sending nerve signals.  During strenuous physical activity, the body can become depleted of sodium if heavy perspiration occurs.  It is easy to replace the body’s losses of sodium, other minerals, and water by having a snack or meal, drinking water or a non-caffeinated beverage.

Health Connection

Most people have heard that excess dietary sodium can be associated with high blood pressure (or hypertension).  High blood pressure is one factor that increases the chances of heart disease and stroke, but the exact causes of high blood pressure and how to prevent it are not fully understood.  For certain people who have high blood pressure, high intakes of salt are linked to their condition.  Imbalances in the body of other nutrients like calcium, potassium and magnesium may also play a role in the development of high blood pressure.  Excess intake of kilojoules is a cause of obesity, and being overweight is another factor that can increase your chances of developing high blood pressure.  Researchers are also studying genetic factors linked to high blood pressure.  Since high blood pressure can involve different factors for different people, it is best to speak to your doctor regarding personal concerns about high blood pressure.

Balancing Food Choices

For healthy people who have a normal blood pressure, eating a diet containing foods that are low in salt is advised by health experts.  When you’re specifically watching your sodium intake, remember it’s your total diet that is important, not the sodium content of any one food.  Here are some food tips to help you moderate the sodium in your diet:

• Look for products that are ‘low salt’, or ‘reduced salt’.  These foods can help reduce the amount of sodium in the diet when eaten in place of a traditional version of the food.
• Lower salt foods can also help you balance the salt content of another type of food you enjoy.  For example, if you enjoy salted peanuts as a snack, perhaps start your day with a cereal that has no salt added.
• Try a new flavouring ingredient such as herbs, spices and fruit juices to add flavour, and even an ethnic flair to foods that you traditionally season with salt.