Sodium

[Aubrey]

So on the cream of threads, Audrey's been telling me that the sodium content's really high, blah blah blah, right? (Sorry, Audrey, it gets better, though.) I don't like thinking about food, & it seems like there's always something better we can do, &...anyway.

 

I have no idea how much sodium is appropriate, so while I've read the sides of the cans, it doesn't mean anything to me. I decided to look it up yesterday.

 

1500-2400mg/day. That's the range to shoot for. A can of low-sodium cream of? About 600mgs. Later, I realized that that was *per serving.* A can of veggies? 400mgs. To put this in perspective, a serving of tortilla chips (12 chips, I figure a couple of handfuls) is 120 mgs. (I realize it varies by brand, but this is my kitchen I'm using for an ex.)

 

So when you add the 85 mgs of sodium my pie crust has & *something* for the chicken (because it has some sodium), a serving of my chicken pot pie has as much sodium as...almost an entire FAMILY sized BAG of chips. :w00t:

 

It gets worse. Bagels have nearly 500mgs. Per serving. So, while we don't have bagels even once a week, I could easily end up giving my kids over 1500 mgs of sodium *just* between the bagel & slice of pot pie. And honestly? I'd have guessed that that was too much carbs but not really *bad* for them. Kwim?

 

I feel like I just got a speeding ticket for speeding in an area where there was no posted limit. I had NO idea. I mean...oh my gosh. Wow. I keep saying that over & over to dh.

 

Anyway...I thought you guys might want to know, too, I mean...the 5 of you who didn't already know. :001_huh:

Edited April 15, 2010 by Aubrey

[TXMomof4]

My mom used to teach school and was always horrified at the kids who ate lunchables every.day. One has more than a days worth of sodium - not to mention all the other junk.

 

I hadn't really thought about it til I had kids and was at the convenience store looking for something to feed my kids. I picked up a lunchable and immediately put it back down after looking at the label - scary what we do to our kids!

[Perry]

From JAMA

 

In 2005-2006, the estimated average intake of sodium among persons in the United States aged 2 years was 3,436 mg/day.5 In 2005, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and U.S. Department of Agriculture recommended that adults in the United States should consume no more than 2,300 mg/day of sodium (equal to approximately 1 tsp of salt), but those in specific groups (i.e., all persons with hypertension, all middle-aged and older adults, and all blacks) should consume no more than 1,500 mg/day of sodium.6

Only about 10% of dietary salt comes from the salt you add to your food when you are cooking or at the table. The great majority is hidden, and comes from canned and processed foods. It's very easy to eat too much.