Get the Salt Out (14 page)

78
Label Reading Lesson No.
3: Peruse the ingredient list and look for sodium in all its various forms. It can be listed as any of the following: baking powder, baking soda, disodium phosphate, monosodium glutamate (MSG), salt, sea salt, sodium alginate, sodium aluminum sulfate, sodium ascorbate, sodium benzoate, sodium bisulfite, sodium carboxymethyl cellulose, sodium caseinate, sodium erythorbate, sodium hexametaphosphate, sodium hydroxide, sodium nitrite, sodium nitrate, sodium pectinate, sodium propionate, sodium pyrophosphate, sodium saccharin, and sodium sulfite.

BONUS TIP:
Not only are these ingredients unhealthy sources of sodium that the body can’t easily use, but many of them also
are chemicals that have been proven to jeopardize our health. Avoiding unnecessary chemicals in our diet is just as important as avoiding refined salt

79
Label Reading Lesson No. 3 (Short Version):
A quick way to discern sodium on the label is simply to look for the words
salt
or
sodium
in any form or for the chemical symbols Na or Nacl.

BONUS TIP:
While you’re reading the label for sodium content, pay attention to the other ingredients in the food as well If you have no idea what some ingredients are, the chances are good that your body has no idea what to do with the ingredients either. Avoid the fake foods and instead buy nutritious products that contain identifiable whole foods the body knows how to use.

80
Label Reading Lesson No. 4:
If you have high blood pressure, you should compare the milligrams of potassium a food has in relation to its sodium milligrams and choose foods that have much more potassium than sodium. Unfortunately, it’s not always easy to choose high-potassium foods because most manufacturers do not voluntarily provide information about potassium content on their labels. However, some companies such as Arrowhead Mills do. This is a true service to those customers trying to reduce high blood pressure by increasing potassium intake at the same time they reduce sodium.

81
Understand the meaning of “sodium-free”
and other recently regulated terms under the FDA’s new food-labeling rules. “Sodium-free” means that the food contains negligible sodium—
less than
5
milligrams per serving.

82
“Very-low-sodium”
is a nutrient claim given to foods that have
35 milligrams or less
of sodium per serving. Both “very-low-sodium” and “sodium-free” are good terms to look for when your diet requires strict control of your sodium intake.

83
“Low-sodium”
refers to foods that contain
140 milligrams or less
of sodium per serving. (All tips given the
One Salt
Shaker
designation in this book meet this definition.) If you don’t know how to start reducing your sodium consumption, just begin by buying “low-sodium” foods. You can eat these foods frequently throughout the day without exceeding the FDA’s guidelines for sodium.

84
“Light”
can mean several things under the FDA’s new labeling regulations. When referring to sodium, “light” can signify low-calorie, low-fat foods whose sodium content has been reduced by at least
50 percent.
If the sodium level of a food has been reduced by one-half but the food is not low in calories and fat, the label must be specific by saying “light in sodium.”

85
“Less” or “fewer”
are terms that can help you choose foods that have been altered to contain a certain percentage less sodium than a comparable food that is normally salted. This means that a soup may contain “20 percent less sodium” than the original soup, for example.

86
A “reduced-sodium” product
contains
at least 25 percent less sodium
than the regular product. This applies only to products that were not low in sodium to begin with. (If you’re confused by this regulation, don’t feel badly. This rule is tricky and hard to understand even for seasoned nutritionists.) To keep it simple, remember to choose “low-sodium” foods over “reduced-sodium” foods whenever possible.