Eat less salt: An easy action plan for finding and reducing the sodium hidden in your diet

363 Pages·2013·2.13 MB·English

by  American Heart Association

ALSO BY THE AMERICAN HEART ASSOCIATION
American Heart Association Low-Salt Cookbook, 4th Edition American Heart Association Healthy Slow Cooker
Cookbook American Heart Association Quick & Easy Cookbook, 2nd Edition American Heart Association No-
Fad Diet, 2nd Edition
The New American Heart Association Cookbook, 8th Edition American Heart Association Quick & Easy Meals
American Heart Association Complete Guide to Women’s Heart Health American Heart Association Healthy
Family Meals
American Heart Association Low-Fat, Low-Cholesterol Cookbook, 4th Edition American Heart Association Low-
Calorie Cookbook
American Heart Association One-Dish Meals

Copyright © 2013 by American Heart Association
No book, including this one, can ever replace the services of a healthcare professional in providing information about your health.
You should check with your healthcare professional before using the information in this or any other health-related book. Because
numerous variables account for a wide range of values for certain foods, the nutrition analyses for the recipes and the sodium values
provided throughout this book should be considered approximate. Different results may be obtained by using different nutrient
databases and different brand-name products. The author and the publisher expressly disclaim responsibility for any adverse effects
that may result from your use of the information contained in this book.
All rights reserved. Published in the United States by Clarkson Potter/Publishers, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, a
division of Random House, Inc., New York.
www.crownpublishing.com
www.clarksonpotter.com
CLARKSON POTTER is a trademark and POTTER with colophon is a registered trademark of Random House, Inc.
Your contributions to the American Heart Association support research that helps make publications like this possible. For more
information, call 1-800-AHA-USA1 (1-800-242-8721) or contact us online at www.heart.org.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
American Heart Association eat less salt.
p. cm.
1. Salt-free diet. I. American Heart Association. II. Title: Eat less salt.
RM237.8.A43 2013
613.2′85223—dc23 2012015399
eISBN: 978-0-30788805-1
Cover design by Ashley Tucker
Cover photography by Kristin Duvall/Getty Images
v3.1
Acknowledgments
AMERICAN HEART ASSOCIATION CONSUMER PUBLICATIONS
DIRECTOR: Linda S. Ball MANAGING EDITOR: Deborah A. Renza SENIOR EDITORS:
Janice Roth Moss, Robin P. Loveman SCIENCE EDITOR/WRITER: Jacqueline Fornerod
Haigney ASSISTANT EDITOR: Roberta Westcott Sullivan RECIPE DEVELOPERS
Ellen Boeke
Nancy S. Hughes
Annie King
Julie Shapero, R.D., L.D.
NUTRITION ANALYST
Tammi Hancock, R.D.
AMERICAN HEART ASSOCIATION SCIENCE AND MEDICINE ADVISOR
Dorothea Vafiadis
Contents
Preface
PART I
SODIUM AND YOUR HEART HEALTH
CHAPTER 1: Sodium, Salt, and Our Food Supply
CHAPTER 2: Sodium, High Blood Pressure, and Heart Disease
PART II
STRATEGIES FOR A LOWER-SODIUM LIFESTYLE
CHAPTER 3: Educate Yourself
CHAPTER 4: Start with Small Changes
CHAPTER 5: Target High-Sodium Foods at Home
CHAPTER 6: Identify High-Sodium Foods When Eating Out
CHAPTER 7: Stay Focused on Eating Well
CHAPTER 8: Plan Ahead with Lower-Sodium Menus
CHAPTER 9: Healthy Sodium for Life
PART III
SODIUM SENSE BY FOOD TYPE—WITH RECIPES
Breads and Grains
Meats
Poultry
Seafood
Soups and Broths
Cheese and Other Dairy Products
Snacks
Sauces, Gravies, Condiments, and Seasonings
Salads and Salad Dressings
Vegetables and Fruits
Breakfast Foods
Beverages
Desserts and Baking Products
PART IV
TOOLKIT
Daily Sodium Tracker
Daily Menu Planner
Sodium-Savvy Substitutions
Product Comparison Tracker
Sodium-Smart Staples
Food Groups and Suggested Servings
Sodium-Free Flavoring Suggestions
Warning Signs of Heart Attack and Stroke
General Index
Recipe Index
Preface
Most Americans today, including an estimated 97 percent of our children, are
eating an unhealthy amount of sodium—and as a result, we have seen the
incidence of high blood pressure rise all across the country. In fact, unless this
trend changes, nine out of ten Americans may develop high blood pressure at
some time in their lives. Scientific evidence shows that eating a high-sodium diet
increases the chance that your blood pressure will rise to a dangerous level. To
prevent that increase and its potentially deadly effects, we want to do
everything possible to help you eat less sodium. We know that our current
food supply makes that difficult, but we’re here to help!
Because our mission is to reduce the incidence of cardiovascular disease,
including stroke, and eliminate its devastating consequences, the American
Heart Association is deeply committed to reducing the amount of sodium in
the current food supply. We are working with the food industry and
government regulatory agencies to join us in this commitment. The American
Heart Association has revised its recommendation for daily sodium intake to
less than 1,500 milligrams, which is based on scientific research on healthy
sodium levels. Sodium is an important part of our diets, but we need only about
500 milligrams per day under normal circumstances. Yet the average American
currently consumes about 3,400 milligrams—more than double the amount we
recommend for most people. (There are some exceptions to the 1,500-
milligram limit, however. For example, people who lose sodium because of
environmental conditions, such as working in hot factories or hiking in the
desert, and people with medical conditions that cause the body to need more
sodium should not restrict their sodium intake to that level.)
We recognize that the task of reducing sodium brings with it many inherent
challenges. It isn’t easy to change ingrained habits quickly, and the existing food
environment presents more highly salted options than it does heart-healthy
opportunities. The objective of this book, however, is to help you understand
both why it’s so important to live a healthy lifestyle and how to gradually
transition to get to that goal. It’s okay to take small steps rather than one big
leap—in fact, we recommend it.
Your first step is to acknowledge that doing something to establish a
healthier diet is better than doing nothing. Any sodium reduction you make, no
matter how small, is a step in the right direction. Once you’ve made a few
meaningful changes in your eating habits, you can choose to move on at your
own pace, using the realistic strategies and stair-step approaches this book
suggests.
Some of the how-tos you’ll find throughout include:
• How to accurately and realistically assess your current sodium intake
• How to reduce the number of high-sodium products in your pantry,
refrigerator, and freezer
• How to read food labels
• How to uncover the sodium hidden in foods
• How to keep sodium in line when you eat out
• How to build an overall healthy, lower-sodium diet
• How to create your own personalized healthy menus
We believe that with solid health information, an achievable action plan, and
more than 60 heart-healthy versions of popular high-sodium recipes, you can
lower your salt intake and enjoy the food you eat.
Adopting a lifestyle that supports your lower-sodium goals is necessary for
good heart health—and those goals are attainable, one step at a time.
Rose Marie Robertson, M.D.
CHIEF SCIENCE OFFICER
AMERICAN HEART ASSOCIATION/AMERICAN STROKE ASSOCIATION
PART I
Sodium and Your Heart Health