Alabamians would be healthier if they ate less salt (sodium chloride). Too much sodium can lead to high blood pressure. And high blood pressure can cause kidney disease. Alabama has one of the highest rates of severe kidney disease in the nation.

Sodium is the mineral in salt that can cause health problems. However, sodium is also essential for nor­mal body functions. Sodium and potassium work to­gether to help control the body's water balance and to regulate pressure within and between the cells. So­dium is the main mineral in the fluid around the cells while potassium is inside the cells. Doctors often rec­ommend that people with high blood pressure or those taking diuretic drugs (water pills) eat foods rich in potassium. Sodium and potassium also help trans­mit nerve impulses so that muscles can function.

SODIUM Sodium is only one of fifteen or more required

minerals in the body. It is found naturally in many foods, mostly as sodium chloride, which is the same as common table salt. Table salt is the most concen­trated form of sodium. It is 40 percent sodium and 60 percent chlorine.

The average American eats alJout 10 to 15 grams of salt (2 to 3 teaspoons) each day. This is 4000 to 6000 milligrams of sodium. Sources of Sodium in Foods

We get sodium through the following three sources:

1. The salt shaker. A level teaspoon of table salt contains 2,000 milligrams of sodium. It is recom­mended that the salt shaker be kept off the table. But when you do use salt for seasoning, use iodized salt because that is your main source of iodine, another essential mineral.

2. Foods that naturally contain sodium. All foods that come from animals contain sodium. And some

Alabama Cooperative Extension System ooama A&M and Auburn Universities

LEAFLET HE-426

plants, such as beets, carrots, celery, spinach, and turnips, contain sodium. Check Table I on page 4 for the amount of sodium that is found naturally in foods.

3. Processed foods. Salt or other sodium prod­ucts are usually added to foods by the processor for flavor or preservative. These foods include cured meats (hot dogs, bacon, sausage, lunch meat), pickled foods (pickled cucumbers, olives, and sauer­kraut), salted snacks (potato chips, crackers, corn chips), soy and other sauces, baking soda, baking powder, monosodium glutamate (MSG), and other seasonings.

In addition to these foods, many beverages (in­cluding water) and medications contribute greatly to your sodium intake.

Reducing Your Sodium Intake The easiest way to reduce sodium in your diet is

to use less table salt. Also, cut down on those foods that have had large amounts of sodium added. Re­member that up to half of the sodium in foods may be "hidden." This is because of the amount that is

, naturally in foods and the amount that is in the pre-servatives and flavorings that have been added.

The following suggestions may help you: • Keep the salt shaker off the table. • Learn to enjoy the unsalted flavors of foods.

• Carefully measure the salt you use for cook­ing and use only small amounts.

• Use spices and herbs for flavor instead of salt.

• Limit your intake of salty foods, such as potato chips, pretzels, salted nuts, popcorn, condiments (soy sauce, steak sauce, garlic salt), cheese, pickles, and cured meats.

• Read food labels carefully to see if sodium has been added.

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• Read labels on over-the-counter medications. Avoid those that contain sodium.

• Only use a salt substitute if a doctor has recommended it.

What To Look For on Labels Salt and other sodium products are common ad­

ditives and preservatives in foods. The following list contains sodium products. Use it to help identify them.

Sodium chloride - table salt. MSG (Monosodium glutamate) a flavor enhancer used in many foods. Baking powder - a leavening agent in baked products. Baking soda; sodium bicarbonate; bicarbonate of soda - a leavening agent in baked products. Brine - a preservative of saturated salt water. Sodium citrate - an emulsifier in cheese prod­ucts; also used in some jellies. Sodium erythorbate - an antioxidant used in meat products, beverages, and baked goods. Disodium phosphate - a texturizer in some quick-cooking cereals and puddings. Sodium pyrophosphate - an emulsifier for cheese and pudding mixes. Sodium saccharin - an artificial sweetener. Sodium benzoate - a preservative.

Sodium in Baby Food A concern before the 1970s was the amount of

sodium being added to baby foods. The sodium con­tent of commercial baby food has been reduced. Par­ents should not add salt to suit their own tastes. Too much salt is an extra burden on a baby's body, espe­cially the kidneys.

Sodium and High Blood Pressure As mentioned earlier, sodium tends to increase

blood pressure which can lead to kidney disease, heart disease, and stroke. However, not everyone is equally susceptible. In the United States, approximately 25 percent of all adults have high blood pressure. Sodium intake is only one of the factors known to affect blood pressure. Obesity also seems to play a role.

Among people who use very little sodium, high blood pressure is rare. In contrast, high blood pressure is more common among people with high-sodium in­take. When people with high blood pressure severe­ly restrict their sodium intake, their blood pressure will usually fall, although not always to a normal level.

At present, we cannot reliably predict who will de­velop high blood pressure. However, certain groups of people, such as blacks, do have a higher rate. A low-salt diet might help some of these people avoid high blood pressure if they start the diet before they develop the condition.

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Sodium and Sweating Sodium is lost in sweat at a rate of about 1000

milligrams per liter. In general, your body will adapt itself during sweating so that you will not lose too much sodium. If you are healthy, a well-balanced diet will give you enough sodium. Sometimes, though, you may need more salt if you are working under extremely hot conditions and sweating excessively.

Sweating off weight to meet a weight classifica­tion in sports is not recommended. This can cause stress to the heart and blood vessels and result in poor performance. This is especially true for children or teenagers. Severe weight reduction during the grow­ing years can be dangerous. If you sweat off weight over a period of several hours, you are losing body water, not body fat. Drinking water will quickly re­store the weight loss. Instead of losing weight through water and salt restriction, reduce your calories so that you lose 1 or 2 pounds a week until you reach the weight you want.

Sodium and Pregnancy At one time, doctors advised pregnant women

to reduce the amount of salt they used. It was thought this would limit water retention and body swelling. And some pregnant women now think they can keep from gaining extra weight by restricting their salt in­take. However, restricting salt intake too much can be harmful to the baby and mother. Some pregnant women may need to limit their use of salt. But they should not do it on their own or because their friends do. The bodies of both the mother and the baby need sodium to function normally. Salt intake should be restricted only under a doctor's orders.

POTASSIUM The average American consumes between

2000 to 6000 milligrams of potassium a day. Since potassium is naturally in many foods, a healthy per­son usually gets enough just from eating a good variety.

Sources of Potassium in Foods Potassium is in many plant and animal foods.

There are good sources of potassium in each of the food groups-vegetables and fruits; milk and cheese; meat, poultry, fish, and beans; breads and cereals. Dried dates, bananas, cantaloupes, apricots, and citrus fruits are exceptionally good sources of potas­sium. Small amounts are found in whole grains. Whole grains have more than refined grains because potassium is lost in milling. Check Table I to find the amounts of potassium in foods.

Potassium is soluble in water. For example, cheese has less potassium than milk because the po­tassium is lost in the liquid whey during processing. When foods are peeled and boiled in a small amount

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of water, about a fourth of the potassium is lost. Even greater amounts are lost if the food is cooked in a large amount of water or for a long period of time. The lost potassium is in the cooking water, so use it if possible. Table II shows how boiling a white potato affects its potassium content.

Table II. Amount of Potassium in a White Potato

Form raw baked without skin boiled in skin peeled and boiled mashed with milk

and margarine

Size 21/4'' diam . 21/4" diam . medium 21/4'' diam . 1/2 cup

Milligrams of Potassium

407 420 407 285 250

Fats and sweets contain little or no potassium. Therefore, margarine, butter, vegetable oils, candy, sugar, and jellies do not contribute potassium to the diet. Synthetic foods and many carbonated beverages do not contain much potassium. Neither do they con­tain many of the other vitamins and minerals impor­tant for good health.

Excessive Potassium Having too much potassium in the body is not

common. This may occur, however, in a person with kidney failure or severe dehydration. Dehydration oc­curs when fever, vomiting, and diarrhea continue for a long period of time, causing a great loss of body fluids, or during hard physical work. Dehydration may be especially dangerous to infants and small children.

A person with too much potassium in the body will have burning and prickling of the scalp, face, tongue, hands, and feet; muscle weakness; poor breathing; and an irregular heart beat.

Potassium Deficiency Low potassium levels can result from a muscle­

wasting disease, malnutrition, diabetic acidosis, or di­uretics. Potassium is also lost in injuries such as cuts, scratches, and burns because of the breakdown of tis­sue cells. Thus, your body needs more potassium when it is building or repairing muscle; after starvation, injury, and some diseases; and when taking diuretics.

Most high blood pressure drugs are diuretics­medicines which help the body lose water. These are often called "water pills." Many diuretics cause a loss of potassium from the body tissues. If you use diuretics almost daily, you may have symptoms of potassium deficiency. A person with low potassium levels in the muscles will feel tired and weak. If you are taking wa­ter pills or if you have frequent vomiting or diarrhea, you may be losing too much potassium and should see a doctor.

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Frequently, the doctor will recommend that a per­son on diuretics or high blood pressure medicine eat foods rich in potassium but low in sodium. In Table 1 foods that are low in sodium and high in potassium are starred.

Potassium and Sweating The body protects itself from losing too much po­

tassium during heavy sweating. When you sweat too much as with exercise, the body gradually adjusts so that less potassium is lost in the sweat. Also, when body potassium is low, less potassium is lost in the urine. Because of the body's ability to adjust and be­cause potassium is widely distributed in foods, healthy people do not need special potassium foods or pills.

REFERENCES:

"Dietary Salt"; Scientific Status Summary by the IFT Expert Panel on Food Safety & Nutrition; January 1980.

"Nutrition and Your Health, Dietary Guidelines for Americans"; U.S. Department of Agriculture and U.S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare; February 1980.

Church, C.F., and Church, H.M.; "Food Values of Portions Commonly Used" (Formerly Bowes and Church); J.B. Lippincott, Philadelphia; 1975.

Hertzler, Ann; "Sodium in the Body" (1979) and "Potassium in the Body" (1974); University of Missouri, Columbia, Extension Division.

Jackson, Yvonne; "Nutrition and Your Health: Avoid Too Much Salt"; unpublished; 1980.

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TABLE 1 - SODIUM, POTASSIUM, AND KILOCALORIES IN FOODS HOUSEHOLD MEASURE

(Figures For Sodium Are Without Addition of Salt In Cooking And Without Salt Added In Processing Foods, Such As Canned Or Frozen)

FOOD MEASURE SODIUM POTASSIUM FOOD ENERGY

mg mg kilocalories

MILK buttermilk 1 cup 318 342 88 evaporated reconstituted 1 cup 118 303 137 nonfat dry solids 1/3 cup 149 490 103 skim, fluid 1 cup 128 356 88 whole 1 cup 122 352 160 yogurt (from whole milk) 1 cup 115 322 151

CHEESE cottage, creamed 1 ounce 64 24 30 cheddar, American 1 ounce 197 23 112

VEGETABLES •asparagus, fresh, cooked 1/2 cup 1 183 20 beans, green snap/wax, fresh 1/2 cup 3 95 16

•beans, lima, fresh, cooked 5/8 cup 1 422 111 beets, fresh, cooked 1/2 cup 36 172 27

'broccoli 2/3 cup (1 large stalk) 10 267 26 'brussels sprouts, fresh, cooked 6 or 7 10 273 36 cabbage, shredded, raw 1 cup 20 233 24

'cauliflower, raw 1/2 cup 6 148 15 carrot, raw 1 large 47 341 42 celery, raw 1 small inner stalk 25 68 3 collards, fresh, cooked 1/2 cup 43 401 40

'corn, fresh 1 ear (4" long) 1 196 100 cucumber 1/2 medium 3 80 8

'eggplant, fresh 2 slices or 1/2 cup 2 214 25 kale, cooked 3/4 cup 43 221 39 lettuce 1 ounce 2 75 5 mushrooms, raw 10 small or 4 large 15 44 28 mustard greens, cooked 1/2 cup 18 220 23

'okra, cooked 8 or 9 pods 2 174 30 onion 1 tablespoon 1 16 4

'peas, green, raw 2/3 cup 1 196 71 'pepper, green or red 1 shell 13 213 22 'potato, boiled in skin 1 medium 3 407 76 'pumpkin, canned 1/2 cup 2 276 38 •radishes 5 small 9 161 9 sauerkraut, drained solids 2/3 cup 747 140 18 spinach, fresh, cooked 1/2 cup 45 291 21 squash

' summer, fresh, cooked 1/2 cup 1 141 14 ' winter, baked 1/2 cup 1 461 63 'sweet potato, fresh, baked 1 small 12 300 141 tomato juice, canned 1/2 cup 200 227 19

'tomato, fresh 1 small 3 244 22 turnip greens, frozen, cooked 1/2 cup 14 123 19

FRUIT •apple 2" diam. or 1/2 cup juice 2 110 58

applesauce, unsweetened 1/2 cup 2 78 41 'apricots, fresh 2 to 3 medium 1 281 51 'apricots, dried 4 large halves 7 245 65 •apricot nector 2/5 cup trace 151 57 ·banana 1 (6" long) 1 370 85 •blackberries, blueberries, or raspberries 5/8 cup 1 170 58

•cantaloupe 1/4 (5" diameter) 12 251 30 •cherries, raw 15 large 2 191 70

'Foods naturally high in potassium and low in sodium.

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FOOD MEASURE SODIUM POTASSIUM FOOD ENERGY

mg mg kilocalories

FRUIT (cont.) cranberry juice 2/5 cup 1 10 65

•dates 2 medium trace 130 55 fig, raw 1 large 1 97 40

•grapefruit 1/2 medium or 1 135 41 1/2 cup juice

'grapes 22 medium 3 158 69 grape juice 2/5 cup 2 16 66

•honeydew melon l/4 (5" diameter) 12 251 33 'lemon or lime 1 medium 2 138 27 •orange 21/2 " or l/2 cup juice 1 200 50 'peach 1 medium 1 202 40 •pear 1/2 medium 2 130 61 pineapple, waterpack 1 slice or l/3 cup juice 1 100 39

•plums, raw 2 medium 2 299 66 'prunes, dried 2 medium 2 130 90 'strawberries 10 large 1 164 37 •tangerine 1 large 2 126 46 watermelon 1/2 cup 1 100 26

BREADS AND CEREALS biscuit 2 inch 219 41 129 bread, white or wheat 1 slice 117 20 62 cereal

grits, enriched 1/2 cup 47 4 70 oatmeal 3/4 cup 1 96 110 puffed rice or puffed wheat 3/4 cup trace 7 37

cornbread 2" square 283 71 93 rice, brown or white 1/2 cup cooked 2 23 90 roll, hamburger 1 152 28 89 spaghetti, cooked 1/2 cup 1 61 111

MEAT AND MEAT ALTERNATES 'beans, dried, cooked 1/2 cup 7 375 106 beef, no bone, cooked 3 ounces 40 382 224 chicken, no bone, raw 31/2 ounces 90 370 104 egg 1 large 66 70 88 frankfurter 1 (2 ounce) 542 108 124 liver; beef, raw 31/2 ounces 86 325 136 luncheon meat/bologna 1 ounce 390 69 67 peanut butter 1 tablespoon 18 123 86 peanuts, roasted with skin 1 tablespoon trace 111 86 pork

fresh ham, cooked 2 ounces 37 260 126 cured 2 ounces 518 239 123

FISH bass, small & large mouth, raw 31/2 ounces 68 256 93 catfish, raw 31;2 ounces 60 330 103 clams, soft 4 large 36 235 82 flounder, raw 31/2 ounces 56 366 68 ocean perch, Atlantic/Pacific 31/2 ounces 68 230 90 oysters, fresh 31/2 ounces 73 121 66 oysters, frozen 31/2 ounces 380 210 66 salmon, pink, canned 2/5 cup 387 361 141 sardines, Atlantic, canned in oil 8 medium 510 560 311 scallops, raw 31/2 ounces 255 396 81 shrimp, raw 31/2 ounces 140 220 90 tuna, canned in oil 5/8 cup 800 301 288 tuna, canned in water 1/2 cup 41 279 127

MISCELLANEOUS bacon, broiled 1 slice 76 17 48 baking powder 1 level teaspoon 339 0 0 baking soda 1 level teaspoon 821 0 0

'Foods naturally high in potassium and low in sodium .

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FOOD MEASURE SODIUM POTASSIUM FOOD ENERGY

mg mg kilocalories

MISCELLANEOUS (cont.) butter, salted 1 teaspoon 49 1 36 butter, unsalted 1 teaspoon trace 1 36 cats up 1 tablespoon 177 62 18 cream, sour 2 tablespoons 12 17 57 margarine, fortified 1 teaspoon 49 1 36 mayonnaise 1 tablespoon 84 5 101 monosodium glutamate (MSG) 1 level teaspoon 492 0 0 mustard, prepared 1 teaspoon 63 7 4 olives

green 2 medium 312 7 15 ripe 2 large 150. 5 37

pickles, bread & butter 6 medium slices 336 0 36 pi12a, sausage & cheese I/4 of 14 inch 975 225 313 salt (sodium chloride) 1 level teaspoon 1850 0 0 sugar 1 tablespoon 1 0 45 syrup, honey, jelly, jam 1 tablespoon 0 15 60 vegetable oil 1 tablespoon 0 0 126

'Foods naturally high in potassium and low in sodium ,

~ ~ Al.AllAMA,.,.. ... COOPERATIVE~

Exten51on SYSTEM

CIRCULAR HE-426

Recommended for Extension use by Barbara Struempler, Extension Nutritionist, Associate Professor, Nutrition and Food Science, Auburn University. Originally prepared by Dorothy Tate, former State Leader-Home Economics, and Virginia White, former Head, Foods and Nutrition.

For more information, call your county Extension office. Look in your tele­phone directory under your county's name to find the number.

Issued in furtherance of Cooperative E'nension work in agriculture and home economics, Acts of May 8 and June 30, 1914, and other related acts, in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The Alabama Cooperative Extension System (Alabama A&M University and Auburn University) offers educational programs, materials, and equal opportunity employment to all people without regard to race, color, national origin, religion, sex, age, veteran status, or disability. UPS, 15M10, Rep. 11:96, HE-426

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