By: Michelle Ronholm Date: 12/2/09
Sodium, a component of salt, is essential for life and good health. Yet many people are consuming more than the recommended daily intake for sodium. You may start to hear more about this as increasing concerns about our sodium intake levels have prompted public health efforts to reduce how much sodium we consume. The International Food Information Council (IFIC) conducted consumer research to learn what people know about sodium and how that impacts their diets.
Here’s a snapshot of what we found:
Awareness is low.
• Nearly half of all consumers don’t know how much sodium a healthy person should consume each day. And half of all consumers don’t know how much sodium they personally consume each day.
• Most people read a food label or package to find out if a product is high or low in sodium. Yet the majority of consumers can’t define a “high” or “low” sodium food in milligrams (mg) per serving.
• Consumers think that most of the sodium in their diet comes from packaged and prepared foods. Many don’t realize that foods individually low in sodium may contribute significantly to their sodium intake as a result of repetitious eating.
People aren’t concerned about their sodium intake.
• Roughly six in 10 of all consumers aren’t concerned about how much sodium get, but they think others should be worried, especially people with high blood pressure and weight issues.
• And for people who aren’t limiting their sodium intake, the majority say it’s because they think they’re in good overall health or they enjoy the taste of the foods they currently eat.
Age matters.
• Most Americans over the age of 55 are trying to limit their sodium intake, usually to manage a current health condition (e.g. heart disease or high blood pressure) or to improve their overall health.
• And people 55 and older are nearly three times as likely as 18-34 year olds to purchase low-sodium products.
People are trying to improve their diets, but limiting sodium is rarely part of that effort.
• People recognize that the top five things they can do to achieve a healthy diet are:
- Eating more fruits and vegetables
- Getting more fiber
- Limiting saturated fat
- Limiting sugar
- Limiting trans fat
• Consumers are more likely to choose foods labeled low-fat or low-calorie than low-sodium.
• And while they know that most of the sodium in their diet comes from processed or packaged foods, they try to cut back on sodium intake primarily by reducing the amount of salt added to foods during cooking and after preparation.
People can make meaningful decisions about their sodium intake by taking a look at their overall eating habits. The key to healthy eating is getting lots of fruits and vegetables, choosing low-fat dairy products such as one percent or skim milk, eating whole grain breads and cereals, and choosing lean meats like turkey and chicken breast. If you follow this “diet” individual nutrients will largely take care of themselves. Enjoy!
For more information about sodium and its impact on health, check out some previous Food Insight articles, The Story of Sodium and Quick Tips to Be Sodium Savvy, as well as the IFIC review, Sodium in Food and Health.