Kelli Dixon, executive director of The Miami Valley Division of the American Heart Association, commented, ‘Americans are eating too much salt, and they are not aware of hidden areas of salt.’ Sodium can sneak into your diet to a greater extent than you realise, and Dixon explained that this is bad news for your heart health and overall wellbeing. ‘Your intake of salt in your diet can mean the difference between having high blood pressure and not having high blood pressure,’ she said, adding that salt increases water retention and makes organs work harder.
With the nation’s wellness in mind, the American Heart Association and the American Stroke Association has created the Sodium Swap Challenge, an initiative designed to raise awareness and encourage Americans to reduce their sodium intake in 21 days. As part of the Sodium Swap Challenge, the American Heart Association has identified the Salty Six, which are a list of popular foods that can add high levels of sodium to a diet; breads and rolls, cold cuts and cured meats, pizza, poultry, soup, and sandwiches.
In the first week of the Sodium Swap Challenge, participants are encouraged to look for lower sodium options of breads, rolls, cold cuts and cured meats and to record their daily sodium intake. Then, in week two, the focus will turn on pizza and poultry, in which participants will be advised to make certain changes. This means adding more vegetables to pizza slices, limiting toppings such as cheese and meats, and opting for fresh poultry instead of processed, canned or fried.
Lastly, week three will focus on soups and sandwiches, requiring Americans to read labels closely, look for low sodium cans of soup, meats, cheeses and condiments and build a better sandwich by adding more salad and vegetables. Christine O’Connor, a registered dietician at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Centre, advised, ‘Read your food labels, especially the ingredients, which are listed in descending order from greatest to least. If you see sodium in the first couple of ingredients, it will be a high sodium food. There are also other names like monosodium glutamate, sodium citrate, or sodium alginate, to name a few.’